Persona: Do You See What I See?
by Piteous
Summary: In the small town of Kobasho, time seems to move slowly. One day the peace of this small town is torn to ribbons, all at the behest of one selfish boy. His evils must be stopped.
1. Day 1

Persona: Do You See What I See?

I get off the bus and set foot in this dinky little town out in the sticks for the first time. My cousin Karen should be around here somewhere.

"Honey~! Honey-boy!" I can hear her calling me.

Ugh…. How long has it been since anyone called me Honey-boy? What an embarrassing nick name.

Running up to me is a rather short woman. I don't know her all that well, but I'm pretty sure that she's my cousin Karen. She fits the profile pretty good: short, dark hair with just a little red mixed in; kinda on the short side, height wise, then again I'm pretty tall, so my views on height might be skewed; she knows my old nickname, so it has to be her.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." I try to sound polite, but I feel like I might have been too formal. Maybe she's one of those women that don't like to be called ma'am.

"Ma'am?" she smiles at me. At least she's not mad, but I can't help but feel as though I embarrassed myself. "Oh, c'mon! I just got out of college; I'm not a ma'am yet!" okay, so I was right. Damn it. "C'mon, my house isn't too far from here. I hope that you've got everything you need 'cause going back to the big city ain't much of an option."

The only things that I left at home were condoms, and I never lived in the big city. The boonies may be small, but – oh shit I left condoms at home! God, I hope mom doesn't find them….

"Thank you for letting me stay here with you. I'll try not to be too much of a burden." I try and make it sound like she's doing me a favour, but I know that that's not the truth.

"Don't be silly, Honey-boy. I'm just glad that I don't have to live by myself."

Last year, during my summer break, my dad's brother, whom I had never met before, came to my house. He heard that I was close to finishing my first year in high school. I figured that he had just come over to congratulate me, which I though was nice. He did praise me, but he had his own reasons for visiting. Apparently, he was worried about his daughter living alone for some job, so he asked my parents if I could live with her during my second year. He asked my parents, not me.

I like to think myself a pretty easy-going guy, so arguing with my parents about this would have just been too much trouble. It's not like I would have won, even if I argued with them. It's not I mind all that much, but any guy would be annoyed if his parents kicked him out just to live out in the boondocks with some cousin I never heard about 'til now.

"Do you need any help with your stuff?" Karen offered to help me with my bags, but what kind of guy would I be if I let a girl carry my stuff for me?

"No, I made sure not to pack any more than I could carry. Thank you anyway."

"Man, you're pretty smart for a high school guy." she's teasing me, I can tell. "When I first moved here, I packed so much stuff that I had trouble carrying it by myself. I could have asked someone for help, but I was too embarrassed."

My cousin Karen looks like a nice enough girl. Wait, she graduated from college already, so I probably shouldn't call her a girl….

…

My name is Hani Sado, I came out to a small town called Kobasho to live with my cousin. I'm not from some big name city like Tokyo, but I've never lived in a town that was quite as tiny as this place is.

I'm just your typical Japanese guy, really. I eat, I sleep, I watch porn every now and again, and I try and keep in shape. That last part might not be typical, but it makes me feel good about myself. My cousin Karen got a job around here, and my uncle doesn't think that she's safe by herself, so he asked if I could live with her for a year to see if she'll be okay by herself.

…

"Here we are!" after walking the entire third of a mile here, Karen opened the door to her little apartment… which was on the third fucking floor. "You must be tired, I could make something for you, or draw a bath." shit, I can't be mad if she's gonna talk like that.

"I am pretty hungry after the trip here. I'd very much like something to eat, if it's not too much trouble."

"Okay! One meal, coming up!" Karen's smile is very warm. "Take a seat. I'll have it done in a jiffy."

I sit on a small cushion set next to the table. Karen steps to the small kitchenette that I passed by when I entered this room. Wow, there really isn't much in this place. I appreciate her making me food, but I feel guilty for not helping.

"Wait, let me help." I try to get to my feet, but Karen keeps my head down with her hand.

"That's not how it works." Karen puts me to a stop before I even start. "It's your first day here, so let me take care of you for today. It's been so long since I had someone to cook for."

I wanted to help her cook, but Karen wouldn't allow…. Whatever she's cooking, it smells fantastic. Coming here, I was under the impression that she was the type that could cook for herself. That was only because my uncle made such a big deal out of her living alone. Soon enough, she brought out my dinner, a tasty looking beef dish. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it's definitely a stew, and my mouth is starting to water from the smell of it.

"This looks amazing, thank you!"

"No problem, just eat."

She doesn't have to tell me twice. "Thank you for the meal." I make a move to dig into whatever delicious thing is before me, but I pause. I think back to an old anime that I watched when I was a kid. There was a girl in it who was really pretty. She could cook the most beautiful food, but when anyone took a bite, they threw up from how bad it was. Could this be that very same scenario? "Umm…."

"Well, don't be shy. Dig in!" she jabs at me to eat. I would be a real dick if I didn't so much as try it.

"Sorry." I take a small piece of beef from the stew with my sticks…. It tastes incredible…. "Whoa!"

"Is it any good?"

"This is amazing!" I tear into it with my empty stomach pushing me forward. "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

"I'm glad you like it."

I'm not sure what she put in this to make it taste so good, but it is the bomb!

I enjoyed what was left of my meal, but I ate it up pretty quick. Maybe it would've lasted longer if I didn't scarf it down like I did. Anyways, after the meal, Karen and I started talking.

"I've already set you up. Starting tomorrow, you'll be a student of Ryokufuu High. I honestly don't know that much about it, but I hear that it's a pretty good school."

I hear that it's the only high school in this dinky ass town.

"Thank you. I'm glad that I was able to get here before the school year began." I say this, but I really wouldn't have minded if I had a few more days to relax. I just got here! "So tell me, what is there to do around here."

"There's a lot that you can do." she smiles at first, but after a second or two of not giving any examples, she begins to look confused. "Umm…." she doesn't know. "I'm not really sure what high school guys do anymore. Man, I feel old." she didn't go to high school here. Of course she wouldn't know. "Oh! I know, your parents told me that you were into martial arts! They have taekwondo or kendo if you're interested."

"American boxing." I reply to her more bluntly than I had intended, but I don't think that I've offended her.

"Oh…. Well, that's pretty much the same right?"

"Is there a gym?"

"Umm…." she doesn't seem to be able to give me straight answers. I'm not sure how long she's worked here, but she doesn't seem to know the town all that well.

"Your work takes up most of your time, doesn't it?"

"Eh heh…. How'd you know?"

I spent a long time talking with my cousin Karen. She's older than me, but I think that we're on the same level somehow. Maybe "level" is the wrong word, but I think it serves well enough. There is only one window in this little apartment, and I can see that it is already night time.

Karen looks out the window and then back to me. "Wow, dark already? We ended up talking a lot didn't we?"

I'm still kinda tired from my trip. I've got school tomorrow, so now's as good a time as any to get some shuteye. Come to think, does this place even have a bed room.

Karen seems to notice me eyeing her apartment. "Oh yeah! I'm sorry, but I don't really have a bedroom. So we'll have to sleep in here."

"In here?" I don't really get it, but I'm interested to see how this will work.

"Come on. Just move that table, and I'll get the futons out of the closet."

So that's how my first day in Kobasho went. Just last week, I was walking down the street in front of my house. Now I'm sleeping in the living room of my cousin's apartment out in the boondocks. I don't know, maybe I'm complaining too much. I'm just afraid that I'll get bored in this little town – I'm up against the wall, does she really have to put her futon so close to mine‽

…

Am I sleeping? No. I'm not sleeping, but I don't think I'm awake either…. I feel strange…. I feel like I'm sick. I feel sick and cold. I don't know where I am, but I want to leave. I don't feel comfortable. I feel like I'm being watched, but there's no one here. I don't see the ground beneath my feet, but I'm not floating. I'm standing on something, but what I'm standing on isn't there. It's like the floor beneath me is invisible. There isn't any light here. As far as my eyes will see, everything is a mixture of red and black in ripples like stains of dye in water. I can't tell if the world around me is close or far away…. This place… I can't explain it, but… it feels evil.

I hear a voice calling out to me…. Perhaps that's wrong. I can feel as if someone is speaking to me. I hear no words, but I can sense what is being said, but I cannot find the speaker.

"Welcome."

"Where am I?"

"You have entered a dark place. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

Words come to me one by one, yet I still see no one speaking to me. "Who are you? Are you talking to me?"

"Do you see anyone else here?" whoever this is, he's a smart ass.

"I don't even see you."

"Shut up." I don't think he has a very high opinion of me either.

Before me, I see the black and red of the world around me, which I had believed to be far away, dissolve like ice around the shape of a man. Once that passed, I could see clearly the person whom I had been speaking to, a man in a fine suit which was red as blood, and a collar that was black as night. His face was veiled by a sheet hood that was evenly split between red and black. While the veil concealed him, I could still see his piercing yellow eyes.

"I am a Shadow… the true self." the masked man that appeared before me was definitely the person who had been speaking to me before. His voice was different in that it was audible, but I knew. "I am the esteemed lord Niha Kagami, ruler of Tavern Red."

"Tavern Red, is that what this place is called?"

"No. This place is a sort of painting of your anxieties." he says this, but I don't really see anything. It's kinda boring. "In time, you will enter the Tavern of your own volition."

"I don't know what you're even talking about. What is…. Is this a dream?"

…


	2. Day 2

The hours of night have since passed, yet the remnants of my slumber confine me below the cover of my futon. In my confinement, I am safe. I am safe from boredom, in whatever form it may take, for the imaginings I experience in my dreams entertain me while I sleep. I am unmotivated to break from my rest – wait…. A divine aroma graces my senses; I am tempted to rise, but what could be so heavenly to smell as this? I am tempted, but I am wary. What on this earth could so easily seduce me, who revels in sleep as would religion, into committing the sacrilege of waking before my time.

Dudes, Karen is cooking breakfast and it smells **GOOD**!

Commit sin, I do. I rise from my futon and make a bee line for whatever my cousin has prepared for breakfast.

"Good morning, Honey-boy." she greets me, my goddess of the dinner table would greet a lowly mortal man such as myself. Indeed she is a humble goddess. To wash my hands of the Church of Sleep was indeed a wise venture. "You're up earlier than I thought you would be. Go get dressed, and I'll make sure that you have something to eat, 'kay?"

I worship thee, o' heavenly goddess of meals.

I go to the bathroom to get dressed, seeing as how that is the only room closed off from the rest of the apartment. On the inside door, I see my school uniform hanging from a hook. That's rather thoughtful of Karen to have my clothes ready for me.

The outfit is rather simple in design. That said, I don't really care for it. The suit is entirely blue, and a depressingly dark shade of blue at that. I doubt that it'll be all that comfortable as the temperatures begin to rise. Hopefully, that'll be the time to switch into our summer uniforms.

Despite my dislike of the thing's appearance, I put on my uniform all the same. It'd be too troublesome to let myself be bothered by it. I look positively smashing in whatever I wear, so who cares?

"Well, I already knew that I was sexy." I say while quickly glancing at the mirror for no longer than five to ten seconds; I assure you that.

Okay my clothes were on. Now, I go to worship. Today I bound myself in prayer to the heavenly meal goddess who so lovingly sets food before me. For this gift of food, I thank you. "I thank you for this meal." a moment of silence please….

"You're weird." the goddess mocks me, but I know that my faith is true. "Actually, I don't leave for work until after you leave for school, so I've still got plenty of time. You better get going though."

I wonder what kind of job Karen has for her to keep a schedule like that. It makes me think, but I've got other things on the mind.

…

I foolishly walked out into the street without a clue of where I was going. Karen pointed me in the general direction of Ryokufuu, but that didn't help at all. I took one wrong turn somewhere, or maybe I didn't. I might be on the right track, but I don't know. I'm afraid to go any farther because I might end up lost in the woods or something.

"Please don't tell me I'll have to ask for directions…." I know that I'm lost, but asking strangers for directions makes me feel stupid.

"Pardon me, sir, but are you lost?" I hear a smooth and gentle voice reach my ears.

I turn to face an androgynous looking person of my age. His uniform is identical to mine, so I'll go out on a limb and say that he's from Ryokufuu. He looks crisp, and seems very well polished. His uniform is spotless, and his pants have been folded with creases. His dark hair is combed very neatly, and he makes direct eye contact when speaking to me. In one hand, he holds a very executive looking briefcase.

"I couldn't help but notice. I wouldn't say that I know everyone who lives in Kobasho, but I have definitely never seen you here before." he maintains a warm expression on his face as he speaks to me. He seems to be a very sociable person. "By your uniform, I'll go out on a limb by guessing you're headed to Ryokufuu, right? My name is Kobashomaru Sakurayama, and I am a third year. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He seems neither tense nor entirely relaxed when speaking, but I think his prim and polished demeanour is genuine. While I do appreciate his hospitality, he seems to be forcing himself to speak.

At any rate, I should introduce myself. "I'm Hani Sado, second year. I just moved her."

"Sado, eh?" After hearing my name, Mr. Sakurayama closed his eyes as if coming to an understanding. I don't quite get it. "You wouldn't by the slightest of chances happen to be related to Karen Sado, would you?"

"Yeah, she's my cousin."

"That must make you the famed 'Honey-boy'."

I realize that Mr. Sakurayama may well not have meant anything by it when he called me that, but I want to punch him all the same.

"Yeah, that's me…."

"You're cousin has told us a lot about you, Mr. Sado." even though he is older than me, he addresses me respectfully as 'Mr. Sado'. "Ms. Sado, your cousin, is employed as a maidservant for my family's estate."

"Maidservant?" I finally know what my cousin's job is. I had many ideas, but I didn't think she'd be a maid.

"Yes, and she is quite the hard worker."

"Is that so…."

"Well, now that I know who you truly are, I regret to inform you that I have already deceived you." he continues to speak in a nonchalant tone, but this only made his words seem that much more dire.

"What?"

"You see, I was asked by Ms. Sado to keep an eye out for her younger cousin who would be attending Ryokufuu High. While I did not realize that you were that same 'Honey-boy', I feel the need to apologize."

"Oh, so my cousin told you to talk to me."

"Well, yes. However, I expected that I'd speak with you while at school. I did not expect to meet you on my way there." he seems to see a difference, but I don't. "We can talk more later. Right now, we should focus on getting to class, no?"

With that, Mr. Sakurayama led the way to the high school. I was only for the best that he led 'cause I sure as hell didn't know where I was going. On the way, we spoke a little more, and we laughed at each other's inappropriate jokes. He's actually a pretty cool guy.

When we finally got to the foot of the hill that the school was built on, I had to keep myself from going all the way back because I was pissed that my school was at the top of some hill I'd have to scale day after day. I understand the geographical advantage to building a school on high ground, but why couldn't the rest of the town be on high ground. I don't want to have to wake up every morning to have to walk up a hill.

I continue to worry over pointless stuff, but a warning from Mr. Sakurayama quickly fished me out of my overindulgent self-pity.

"Watch out." he says with a flat tone.

"What?" I move to question, but the sight of a free speeding bike coming towards me tells me to move.

Without anyone at the bars, the bike rolls down the hill at top speed. It's almost funny, seeing as how its owner is nowhere to be found.

"My bike!" I stand corrected.

I see the apparent owner of the doomed bicycle heading down after it. The owner is a young girl, around my age with her hair kept up in strategic braids, which are too complex for me to pull off. She wears a black sailor fuku type uniform with a black neck tie. I'll guess that that's the standard girl's uniform here. To that, I must say that this school needs to get with the times. I mean, it's cute and all, but isn't it a little old fashioned? Anyways, the poor girl can't seem to keep up with her vehicle, but that's really not my problem. I still feel kinda bad for her though.

"Who was that?" I ask.

When I turned back to face Mr. Sakurayama, but I noticed that he had buried his face in his free hand. I get the feeling that he's seen this scene before.

…

New school year had begun. Even for the small town of Kobasho, this was true. Students had eagerly prepared for the day by wishing that it would never come. Ah, school….

I was placed in class 2-C. The student body is so small here that there are only four classes to each year. At my old high school classes extended from A to H, and that was considered small! My teacher is some old coot with a long ass beard, but I don't really care.

Mr. Epic Beard Man introduced me to the class, and then he put me in a seat smack in the middle of the room. I would have preferred to sit in the back where no one would care if I slept, but no, I'm stuck in the middle. I can look back and see that the girl who was chasing her bike earlier made it to class. I'm not all that surprised that she's in the same class as I am 'cause this school is small. What really surprised me was that she got her before I did!

Class ended and I was ready to go home. Still, I'm afraid that I'll have nothing to do when I get there. I guess I'll talk to Karen whenever she gets home.

I hear footsteps. Most everyone that isn't a part of some club has left already, but I see a few guys hanging around. I wonder what – it got dark…. Why is it dark?

"Guess who?" I hear a girl's voice addressing me in a teasing tone.

I think it's addressing me. Someone's put their hands over my eyes, and I hope to god it's not some weird guy. Anyways, this is my first day here and I don't know anyone. How am I supposed to guess?

"Karen?" I seriously doubt that she'd come to my school when she has work, but she's the only girl I know from here right now.

I regain my vision, and I see a girl bounce in front of me with a disapproving look on her face. It's the same girl from earlier, the one that was chasing her bike.

"That's just rude." said the girl. "You're supposed to give the wrong answer, but not say another girl's name."

I don't know her name, but rather than point this out, I play it straight. "What is your name?"

She seems happy that I asked. "I'm Asami Hibari!" she so happily declares.

Okay… so I exit the school –

"Wait!" Ms. Hibari runs up to me as I leave. "Wow, people from the big city are cold."

"I'm not from the big city." I can't stress that enough.

"Let's start from the beginning." she takes a step back and moves to speak again. "Hi, I'm Asami Hibari."

I stay silent at first, but she looks to me with expectation. I suppose this is where I introduce myself. "I am Hani Sado. How do you do?" I introduce myself, but I don't think that I satisfied Ms. Hibari.

"'How do you do?' Man, city people are so lame." this girl has a good bit of gall to her. "Hey, city boy, wanna have some fun?"

I'm not from the city, but even I think that sounded suspicious. I am still wary of this excited girl, but I imagine that she'd be fun to be around. "Sure, why not."

"Really?" I think I made her happy. "Okay. This way!"

Before I could say anything more, Ms. Hibari took off passed me and was quickly out of sight. That girl has a lot of energy. I could probably catch her if I started running right now…. That wasn't happening, so I guess I'll head home – she ran off on foot, what did she do with her bike?


	3. Day 3

"Honey-boy! Hurry and get dressed. I'm making breakfast."

That was all that I needed to hear. Today marks the third day of my life in the boondocks. While I was bored to tears in my free time yesterday, I fill the boredom burrowed hole in my heart with anxious preparation for my next meal. Oh, so wonderful my cousin is to prepare such wonderful food for me. I have to repay her somehow.

I feel kinda bad for leaving that Hibari girl like I did. She was a little weird, but I guess it was rude to just let her go off. I'll apologize when I see her at school.

"Oh, and there was a girl in a Ryokufuu uniform standing out by the gate. Did you already make a girlfriend?" Karen teases me after I wash my plate. "Damn, you city guys don't waste any time."

A girl? I just transferred here. I know I didn't make a girlfriend yet. At least, I don't think I did. "I'm not from the city." the only girl that I really talked to yesterday was…. Oh….

As it would seem, Ms. Hibari waited outside my apartment this morning. I understand if she's mad, but this is scary. How'd she find me?

"Good morning, Ms. Hibari." she's probably mad, so I guess I'll just act naturally.

"Hmph." yep, she's mad. "You left me all alone!"

"I'm sorry. You were just too fast to keep up with." I plead my case, but I doubt it'll do any good.

"But you're a boy! You can't let some girl be faster than you."

"That is horribly sexist!"

"I can't be sexist! I'm a girl." Ms. Hibari continues to make horribly non-pc statements. I don't think she fully understands what sexist means. "Whatever. That still wasn't nice."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." I don't know what else to say to this girl. I wasn't trying to be rude. She just weirds me out a little. "I'll make it up to you… sometime…."

"I know that." said Ms. Hibari. In addition to being… odd, she shows a presumptuous side to me as well. This girl isn't that good at making impressions. "As punishment for leaving me all alone..." Ms. Hibari latches herself on to my arm without giving me a chance to say no. "Much better."

"Hey!"

Honestly, if this were some random girl clinging to my arm, I probably wouldn't mind. With Ms. Hibari, I know that she's a little weird. This is kinda embarrassing, so the thought goes through my head to shake her off…. Yeah, this is weird. I'll shake her off.

"Hey!" Ms. Hibari yells in protest.

I wrestle my arm out from Ms. Hibari's hold. It really wasn't that difficult. Once I am free, I do my best to distance myself from her. I probably would have gone farther if I hadn't staggered.

"You are so RUDE!" she yells.

"And you're too forward!" I yell back at her.

When I say this, Ms. Hibari takes a moment to ponder over it. "Forward? Am I leaning too much? Is that it?" with that, I have the pleasure of knowing that this isn't some messed up love confession. Ms. Hibari pouts, which makes her pretty damn cute…. You know, if she weren't so weird. "I knew it, city people are seriously picky!"

"It's normal to be picky about who's in your personal space." I have the feeling that she'll ask me what personal space is.

"I'm not in your personal space! I'm in my personal space! We just happen to overlap a bit." I want to rebut that but I don't. "I'm only asking you to walk to school with me." she makes a disappointed face.

Graah…! I realize that reasoning with this person will only tire me out, but I guess I'm just not charming enough to get my point across, so we end up arguing. We reach the conclusion – or at least I do – that this is pointless, and that we'll be late for class if we mess around anymore.

Despite our argument, Ms. Hibari and I end up walking to school together. This is mostly because we were already on the same route, and I'm not so much of a dick that I'd tell her to go someplace else. I lead the way, and I go through the same path that I did yesterday. I notice that the weird girl is shooting me looks. I guess my route isn't as short as the one she would have taken. It's nice of her to stay with me though.

On route, I see a much friendlier face standing stationary. It's Mr. Sakurayama, and I think he's waiting for me.

"Mr. Sakurayama?" when I call out to him, I remember that he's one year ahead of me. I hope that he doesn't mind that I forgot to call him 'Senpai'.

"Ah, Mr. Sado, I was beginning to worry that you'd become lost, or that you had made it to school already." Senpai's polite introduction is a refreshing change of pace from Ms. Hibari's oddness. "I'm relieved to see that you've come to meet me again, but I wouldn't have minded if you had already been in class."

"I'm sorry. I picked up… a strange walking partner." I say.

No sooner than the second after I addressed her, Ms. Hibari jets up from behind me, wraps her left arm around my right, and her other arm around Senpai's left. Senpai accepts it at the cost off the fullness of his smile.

"Senpai!" Ms. Hibari calls out. "I made a new friend!"

"I can see that." Senpai looks at me with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry that you've been caught in the middle of this."

Senpai seems slightly irritated, if not entirely displeased, at Ms. Hibari's behaviour. I'm guessing that these two have grown used to each other, but I wouldn't say that they look like very good friends.

"Um… Asami," they seem to be on well enough terms to go on a first name basis. "I had meant to ask you this yesterday, but whatever happened to the bike that I bought you?"

Ms. Hibari's expression became grim. It was obvious that her bike met an unfortunate end. Wait, he bought her that bike?

Senpai looked to her with a certain understanding. I guess he just didn't like seeing her down like that. With that pitiful defeated look on her face, I guess that I wouldn't either.

With that behind us, the three of us walk to school together. Thankfully, the inclusion of Sakurayama-sempai makes it less awkward.

…

Classes have ended for today. I guess that I'll head home now.

"Hanchan!" I hear Ms. Hibari's voice. My guess was as good as wrong. This truth is only furthered when I see that she has, once again, latched onto my arm without my consent. "Let's go!"

"Hanchan?" it's really offsetting how she thinks we're that close.

"Well your name is Hani, right? I went and turned it to Hanchan for good luck."

"Good luck?"

"Well yeah. Hani Sado. That's four characters right? That's bad luck, so I turned it into Hanchan!" she seems so proud when she says this. I fight the urge to tell her that Hani is just another nickname. Hani, Honey-boy, Hanchan? I've picked up alot of these.

Ms. Hibari's thoughts are very much like a child's. I find that she has a calming air around her when she stands still for long enough. Hanchan's better than Honey-boy, at least.

"Well, let's go!" Ms. Hibari is as enthusiastic as ever.

"Go where?" I ask.

Ms. Hibari stops to glare at me. I would have been nice if she let go of my arm, but no. "We're going to the carnival like you promised me yesterday we would."

I don't remember making any promises. Then again, I don't remember any carnival. My curiosity overtakes my common sense this time, and I'm forced to let Ms. Hibari lead me to where ever it is she's taking me. On our way out of the class room, I notice a few of our classmates staring at us, which embarrasses me. That's how I felt until I overheard some of them talking.

"Oh boy, looks like the transfer guy got stuck with the weird girl."

"Poor guy. He didn't even have a chance."

"Better him than us right?"

"Yeah. Ha ha!"

I look over to Ms. Hibari to see if she heard it too. When I look at her, I can tell that she's pretending as if she didn't hear it. She held my arm even tighter.

Yeah, my classmates are douchebags.

…

Ms. Hibari practically drags me. Scratch that. She drags me to some fenced off area on the outskirts of town. Through the metal fencing, I see several large and odd looking buildings. All of them look like they need a little bit of a touch up. I try not to put too much stock into what those douchebags from school said, but for Ms. Hibari to bring me some place this remote kinda has me on edge…. No one can hear me if I scream here…. It's best if I not think about it too much!

"Hurry up, Hanchan, we can't keep senpai waiting." said Ms. Hibari.

"Senpai? Sakurayama-senpai is here too?"

"Uh oh, Senpai's already at the gate. Hanchan it's your fault for making us late, so you talk to him."

I wouldn't think Senpai would be someone who would get mad over little things. Then again, I guess I only knew him since yesterday, and we really haven't talked all that much. Still, much of my worries are alleviated when I hear that Senpai will be here with us. He seems like the type I can trust.

"Senpai!" despite that momentary fear for him about a second ago, Ms. Hibari latched onto Senpai's arm just like any other.

"Ah, I see that you've brought our new friend with you this time, Asami-chan. Very well done." for her hard work, Senpai patted Ms. Hibari on her head.

"Thanks, Senpai!"

I don't know if it's the creepy atmosphere or what, but the way Senpai worded that kinda scares me. I'm hoping that he's just speaking at Ms. Hibari's level.

"Hello, Sakurayama-senpai."

"Hello again, Mr. Sado. I'm glad that you were able to join us." after saying this, Senpai pulls me away to talk. "I apologize for any inconveniences that Ms. Hibari may have put you through. I know how forceful she can be at times."

Well, I think my shoes are a little more worn out because of her. "That's okay, Senpai. Ms. Hibari seems nice enough."

"I'm glad that you're able to see that. You see, Ms. Hibari has a very…. How do I put this?" Senpai seems lost for words. "In terms of her personality, Ms. Hibari is…."

"Unique?" I spit out an easy way to say a hard word.

"Unique is fitting. Let's go with that." Senpai chuckles nervously. "Because of her 'uniqueness', Ms. Hibari is not very well liked among the other students at Ryokufuu."

"I think I've noticed…."

"Anyway, you're wondering what she brought you out here for, aren't you?"

Senpai nods over to Ms. Hibari who begins to scale the fence… in a skirt.

"Don't look up." said Ms. Hibari, who surprised me with her modesty.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." I could have phrased that more smoothly.

Thankfully, Senpai didn't jump on the chance to make me feel like an ass. "You haven't been here all that long, so I'll just tell you now. Ms. Hibari and I are members of Ryokufuu High's Kobasho Urban Legend Exploration Company." Senpai looks to me and sees that I don't know what the hell he's talking about. "It's just a little afterschool club that she and I whipped up together. And when I say that we're members, I mean that we are the only two."

"It only takes two people to make a club around here?" at my old school it took no less than four, and that wasn't including the team captain.

"We're a small school. The purpose of our club is to research old urban myths from the history of the town and of Japan in general. To be honest, I only agreed to make the club because of Ms. Hibari."

"It sounds like you care about her a lot."

"I do care about her, I assure you, but my feelings for her end there. I hold no dubious emotion for her." Senpai added an unnecessary weight to what he said, especially that last sentence. "That said, I find her charming, if somewhat strange. This makes it all the more difficult to deal with her when she disappoints me.

Again, Senpai points to Ms. Hibari. Just a moment ago, she was scaling the fence. Now, she's dangling upside down from it.

"Help…." Ms. Hibari lets out a weak cry.

So this is what Senpai meant when he said that she disappoints him. Somehow, Ms. Hibari got her foot caught in the fencing on her way down the other side. Sadly, her skirt was pressed up against the fence, so I couldn't see anything.

I'm torn between the helping her down or let Senpai do it first…. I decide to wait for Senpai…. I wait for Senpai….

"Umm…. Senpai, should we help her down."

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, but I was waiting for you to do it." I'd blame him if I weren't waiting for the exact same thing.

Senpai and I help Ms. Hibari down. She probably would have been happier if we'd acted sooner, but I don't hear her complaining. I think me and Senpai became closer over it.

…

"Years ago, the Natsukaze Carnival would be held every year during the spring. It was very popular. I remember the last time I went." Senpai tells me the history of the Carnival Ruins as we walk deeper into this creepy place. "Years ago, three children went missing in the carnival grounds. They were never heard from again. The police investigated, but no one could find them. The old man who ran the place fell into depression. The families around here are pretty conservative, so no one tried to sue him or anything, but he took it hard all the same. Eventually, he died. Some say it was from his guilt. The Natsukaze Carnival fell to ruin thereafter."

"It's a sad story." said Ms. Hibari.

"I get it. So since three kids went missing. Three people have to be here at once, is that right?"

"Well, nothing in the rumours specifically mention needing three people, but Asami-chan insisted that we 'play by the book' for this one." Senpai looks back at Ms. Hibari, who smiles proudly. "Truth be told, we don't usually deal with myths this recent, but it gave us an opportunity to explore, and it looked like fun."

I look at my creepy surroundings, and I couldn't disagree more.

"This place is creepy as all hell, so we should split up." Senpai talks like he's never seen a scary movie.

"In horror shows, isn't that what usually gets people killed?" I don't know why I bothered to point that out.

"Exactly. If something weird happens, we're more likely to be sensitive about it if we're split up and scared." Senpai acts very polite, I guess that it's just his upbringing that makes him like that. Underneath that, I see that he has a touch of evil in him…. I wonder if he even knows.

I don't want to be by myself here. I want to make up some story about how we shouldn't leave Ms. Hibari by herself, but I'm too much of a coward.

"Guys, I'm really creeped out here." man, I sound like a little punk.

Senpai smirks my way. He must think it amusing, that I'm afraid. "Well, if you're really that scared, take Asami-chan with you into the house of mirrors. I go off on my own."

Asami-ch… Ms. Hibari grabs onto my arm again and starts pulling me off to the house of mirrors. "Don't worry, Senpai. I'll take good care of him!"

"I'm sure you will, and don't forget to call me if something happens. I registered myself as number 4 on your speed dial."

Registered himself? Did he buy her phone too?


	4. Day 3's Night

It's still my third day here in this puny little town. Already, I've been dragged into some weird scheme by two of the hillbillies that live here. One is polite but scary, and the other one is weird. She's just weird. And right now, she's the one with me in this messed up place.

"Hey, Hanchan, are you scared?" asked Ms. Hibari. Damn it, I was trying to look cool, but I think the newness of all of this is getting to me.

"No, of course not." I don't really have anything to be afraid of….

Mirrors line the walls of this place. I look to the left, but my reflection stares back at me. I look to the right, but I only see the same. Some are broken or cracked in places; they steal my reflection and spread it among their pieces. Others are purposefully convex to distort my picture. It's almost surreal how many of me there are. I feel out numbered. I feel overwhelmed….

"Hanchan, don't look so serious." Ms. Hibari seems to notice that I've been pondering over the mirrors.

"Sorry about that." man, I must look so uncool right now.

"Are you okay?" she asks me.

"Yeah I'm fine. Is there anything else her that we should look at while we're here?"

Ms. Hibari thinks over this. I'm not sure how much time she and Sakurayama-senpai have put in this, but I think that it's safe to say that she'd know more about this creepy place than I do.

"A mirror!" she exclaimed.

"A mirror?"

"Yeah, before we leave here we have to look at a mirror!" she seems excited, but I think that she's leaving something out of that explanation.

I look around, and I see plenty mirrors. "Take your pick." I say.

"No!" she takes my hand, and leads us into an aimless search. At least, that's the way it looks on my end. "There's a special mirror somewhere in here!"

"What makes it so special?" I ask, and foolishly, I expect a straight answer.

"It was called 'The Door to Expression'." she tells me the name of her special mirror, but she gives me no clues to find it. "Back when this place was still running, there was a weird mirror called The Door to Expression that everyone came to see. They said that whenever someone looked into it, they saw a mask covering their face, and people only saw the masks on their faces, nobody else's."

I wonder who the "They" that told her that were. I'm thinking that she gets her info from internet searches, or from Sakurayama-senpai, who looks more diligent. I don't want to say that I don't believe her, but her story seems kind of odd, and I don't think that Ms. Hibari is above mixing up parts of a story.

"If it's still here, we have to find it to show Senpai!" she seems really excited about this. "Huh? Hanchan, if you don't keep up, we won't be able to show Senpai what we've found."

"You want to impress Sakurayama-senpai, don't you?"

"A… Huh?" I think I scared her silent. Wow, she was going full speed just a second ago.

"Well, don't you? That's the sort of wavelength you two have been giving me."

"No! I-It isn't like that!" I might be saying too much, but with how strongly she denies it, I think that says something too. "Senpai's just… Senpai's really nice to me…." okay, now she's starting to make me feel bad. "Senpai is the only one who's nice to me…."

I still don't know what Sakurayama-senpai thinks of Asami, but it's obvious that she likes him. She's bold, but even Ms. Asami doesn't look the type to take things like this lightly. Now, I feel bad for bringing it up.

"Let's go find that door."

…

"There it is!" with her leading, Ms. Hibari took me by the hand through the glass lined passageways of the Mirror House. I didn't know what her Door to Expression looked like, but I think we've found it.

It was grand. Raised on a pedestal in the centre of the maze, as if straight from Henry's bedchamber, a full-length, standing mirror stole our attention.

"So that's The Door to Expression?" I ask for the obvious.

"It's so pretty…. Go touch it."

"Why me? Are you afraid?"

"You're a boy, Hanchan. If something freaky happens, you have to take responsibility."

I'm sure that where ever Senpai is, he's probably lonesome. "Alright, but don't let go of me." I'm not afraid to say that this place creeps me the hell out. I think I said it a couple times before: this place is creepy, and I don't feel comfortable by myself. Call me a coward; this place scares me.

"Right…." Ms. Hibari holds onto my arm tightly. She wasn't going to let go in the first place.

"Okay…. Here I go…." together, Ms. Hibari and I inch towards the thing. "Was that thing always that far away?"

"Hanchan, get serious!" Ms. Hibari scolded me. Hearing that from her depresses me. "Don't drag it out…."

"Alright, alright." the tension is killing me too, Ms. Hibari.

I can't tell if this girl is making me more nervous or less with all of her talk. I'm just going to look into the mirror. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just a mirror. It's just a mirror. I'm gonna drive myself crazy like this. It's just a mirror. It's just a mirror.

One foot in front of the other…

_It's just a mirror. It's just a mirror._

I come closer…

_It's just a mirror. It's just a mirror._

I take a breath…

_It's just a mirror. It's just a mirror._

I step up…

_It's just a mirror. It's just a mirror._

I tell myself what it is…

_Is it a mirror. It's just a mirror._

I assure myself it isn't more than that…

_It's just a mirror. It's not a mirror._

I know it's true…

_It's just a mirror. It's not a mirror._

So tell me…

_It's not a mirror. Don't lie to yourself._

Why isn't…

_Accept it, __you coward__. _

**Click Click Click**

_Don't lie to yourself._

The voice in my head isn't my own….

_Accept it. Reach out._

Who are you?

_Take the mask. Hide behind it, __you coward__._

**Click Click Click**

_You don't have the strength to face it._

**Click Click Click**

Who are you?

_You seek the truth? Reach out._

_Take the mask. Hide behind it, __you coward__._

**Click Click Click**

I see my mask floating there.

_Put it on. Do it._

It doesn't fit. My mask doesn't fit. It can't be mine. It doesn't fit.

_You're not strong enough._

**Click Click Click**

I left the staples at home.

_What do you need staples for, __stupid__?_

**Click Click Click**

_You don't need staples, __stupid__._

**Click Click Click**

_If the mask doesn't fit, what you do is obvious, __stupid__._

**Click Click Click**

_You fit to it_, _do you understand__?_

**Click Click Cl-!**

I don't know how to do that.

**Click Jam **Fail

_Sure you do. __You do it so well._

**Click Click Click**

Don't make fun of me….

_If you can't fit the mask. _

_Throw it away, and get another one._

**Click Click Click**

**Click Click Click**

**Click Click Click**

**NO! – Click – NO!**

Throw it away?

**NO! – Click – NO!**

_That's all you have to do._

**NO! – I'm begging you – Please!**

Throw it away?

_Throw it away__._

**I'm begging you – Don't listen!**

_That isn't your mask._

This isn't my mask.

_Throw it away._

**He's LYING!**

Throw it away.

**Click Click Click**

The voice in my head is my own…. I don't hear it any more…. Maybe Asami? "Hey, Asami-chan?" where is she? "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"T-The mask…!" Asami-chan is speaking gibberish.

"What mask?" Asami-chan is speaking gibberish.

"The one in your hand. You pulled it out of the mirror!"

Asami-chan is… wait, no. I was dreaming. I'm awake now. Asami-chan is right. I'm holding a mask. Not a mask, it's a hood, a white hood with eye holes.

"Where'd I get this?"

"You pulled it out of the mirror!" she's acting very nervous. That's not like Asami-chan – wait, when did I start calling her Asami-chan?

My head is still in the clouds. It's all so foggy, but I think I'm starting to understand. I really am waking up, but I wasn't sleeping. I think I was dreaming, but I wasn't sleeping. I woke up from a dream without ever sleeping. I don't get it…. And where did this mask come from‽

"Ms. Hibari, wasn't that mirror in front of us just a minute ago?" it's the same room, but everything looks reversed. Even the ceiling is change. Wait, the ceiling is gone. The ceiling is gone! "What the hell did you do with the ceiling!"

The walls are raised, but there is no ceiling. There is no ceiling, there is no sky; there are no clouds or sun, there is no moon or stars. There is no light, but I see even more clearly than in the day. There is no world beyond these walls. It's just a backdrop of black.

"What the hell happened‽" I can't keep up. This room is so eerily familiar, but there's just too much wrong here.

"You put your hand through the mirror." Ms. Hibari tries to explain all of this to me. I just realize that Ms. Hibari's still here.

"What do you mean I put my hand through the mirror?"

"You put your hand in and then walked through." Ms. Hibari is obviously too stressed to tell me what happened, but that story makes about as much sense as what I'm seeing!

If what she's telling me is true, then how is she here with me? Oh wait, she was glued to my arm that time…. "Where the hell are we‽" sometimes, I wish I was the hero character in some shounen fighting anime. If I were, I'd be able to stay calm in times like this. My IQ would probably plummet, but at least I wouldn't look like such a wimp.

What's with this mask? Oh, never mind, that's not the most important thing right now. Where am I? "This place is freaking me out."

"H-Hanchan…."Ms. Hibari is shaking. It would look cool if I could comfort her, but I'm just as scared and confused as she is. I let her keep onto my arm, but it's not like I'd shake her off right now. "H-Hanchan, I'm scared…."

"It's okay. I'm scared too." I don't know why I said that. "Let's just go back, okay?"

"Okay…."

Ms. Hibari said that we came in through the mirror right? If we came in that way, then we should be able to go out the same way.

"Let's go…." I'm still scared. I walk back to the mirror, but I'm hesitant. I'm afraid that we might not beable to go through. Maybe what Ms. Hibari said was just nonsense that she made up to cope with how wrong this place is. I want to leave this place, but the thought that this mirror. Am I dreaming? I reach out to the glass, I see another side. I question if this is a reflection. It is a reflection, but I don't see myself. This has to be the way out. This has to be the way out. If it isn't…

I reach out to the mirror, but the glass fogs up. My fear is realized. The mirror is solid. I can't leave.

"No." I'm trapped here. There is no exit. "No. No."

"Hanchan?" I'm scaring Ms. Hibari with my worrying. I should stop.

"Don't worry." I say to her. I do my best to hide my fear. I fail at it, but I try all the same. "This one didn't work, but if we got in here, there has to be a way out. Don't worry."

"That's not it. Look." Ms. Hibari points to my hand on the mirror – oh, shit another mask.

"Holy shit!" I'm at the end of my rope. The last thing I needed was a scare. I see a blue mask with a saddened expression protruding from the mirror. "The hell?"

The mask slowly detaches itself from the glass. There is no one wearing the mask, but a seemingly solid, if undefined, shadow takes up a form beneath it.

"AH!" Ms. Hibari screams.

I see that similar shadow creatures are emerging from some of the other mirrors around us. They all take the same shape: masked creatures made up of gaseous shadows. They flail around with their long outstretched arms. I've never seen monsters like this in real life. They look so alien that I can't understand how something like what I'm seeing could exist. This can't be real…. My head hurts….

"Hanchan, I'm afraid."

"This can't be real…." too much is happening. My head feels like it's gonna split…. "Too much…."

"Hanchan…."

The monsters see us. We're not like them. They'll attack us…. My head….

"Hanchan…!"

This pain….

"Hanchan!"

Please… Ms. Hibari… please stop screaming…! It hurts. IT HURTS! MY HEAD HURTS! "AHHH!"

"Hanchan!"

_Go on. Do it._

That voice. That voice in my head is the cause of this. The pain in my head lifts, but only for a second. In this reprieve, I hear this voice, the voice in my head that is not my own. It tells me something, one word….

_Persona_.

"Per… sona…? AHHHH!"

IT HURTS AGAIN!

"Hanchan, are you okay‽"

IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!

The pain stops, again. This is hell. I feel something coming, like a heavy pressure about to burst. This is it. This isn't pain, but I feel an incredible pressure. This isn't pain, rather, I'm burning up inside!

I see a light, a bright light. The room is made blue from this light. I see something in the light, past it, a serpent form. I see that serpent, whose six frilled spikes adorn its head like the branches of a grand tree. From them hung six golden jewels, or is it fruit that I see shine so brightly? This thing is unlike myself or the shadows that attack us, yet I do not fear it.

It speaks to me:

_I am thou, and thou art I…_

_From the sea of thy soul I come…_

_I was he who set into motion her original sin, I am the deceiver…_

_Thuban._

"Thuban." I lock eyes with this new monster, my two eyes meet with its six.

"Hanchan!" Ms. Hibari screams. That's right, she's here, too.

There are others here, those monsters. Ms. Hibari isn't safe. Thuban sees this, he sees what I see. I am Thuban, and Thuban is me. My will is to protect myself. To protect myself, I must make those monsters gone. With Thuban, I have the power to do that.

"Thuban!" I call for him. His will is mine, I will destroy those creatures.

Thuban attacks. In one movement, a monster has been eaten whole. The next was sliced in two by his tail. This power is my own. Thuban's power is my own. If I have Thuban, I have power. I have the power to slaughter these monsters.

I'm burning up again. My other self is on fire. This power is called 'Agi'.

"Hanchan…." I keep forgetting that Ms. Hibari is still here. "How are you doing this?"

…

It's over. Everything, Thuban has disappeared, but not really. The monsters are gone, so, without purpose, Thuban faded, but I can still feel his presence.

"Hanchan, are you okay?"

"Yes, Ms. Hibari, I'm fine."

"How did you do that?"

"I'm not sure, Ms. Hibari."

"Do you think we can leave now?"

"Leave where?" we don't need to leave now. I know this because I look up, and I see the ceiling.


	5. Day 4

I had a dream again. In my dream, there were two people that I don't think I've ever met before. We were in this creepy red room. It looked like we were in some kind of club or something. It was all so strange, but it didn't feel like a dream. They were talking about me and how I had some special power…. They told me about my Persona….

My Persona… yes, my Persona. Thuban, the deceiver. I'll never forget that power…. I just woke up from a dream that didn't feel like a dream, and just yesterday, I experience something that couldn't be real, but was.

That couldn't have been real. No one would believe me if I told them what happened to me. Sakurayama-senpai surely didn't. He thought that we were just letting our imaginations get the best of us. We…. That's right; Ms. Hibari was with me when it happened. She seemed shook up by it, but so was I. I was so scared that day, but I'm glad that…. I don't even know anymore.

"Oh, Honey-boy!" the sweet tickling of a goddess's voice reaches my ears and teases me with the prospect of a meal fit for the gods. You know, I'm starting to think that the way I think of my cousin is getting weird. "Hey, you really need to start getting up earlier. Your friends are already waiting for you outside."

"My friends?" the only people I can think of are Sakurayama-senpai and Ms. Hibari. I just woke up, and they're already waiting for me? "At what ungodly hour do those people wake up to be here in the morning?"

"I don't know, but I young master Kobashomaru's mom is my boss. I'm not trying to rush you, but could you please not keep him waiting." I don't think that Sakurayama-senpai would be that petty, but I guess I'll eat quick so Karen doesn't get nervous.

On that note, I don't care if the great Izanagi came here to get me out of bed. I will eat my cousin's cooking before I leave, and that's that.

I get dressed and head downstairs. Senpai and Ms. Hibari are waiting here for me just like Karen said. "Good morning, Sakurayama-senpai. Good morning, Ms. Hibari."

"Good morning, Mr. Sado. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better. You were pretty shaken just yesterday evening." Sakurayama-senpai still doesn't believe my story, but I guess I can't blame him.

"Good morning…." Ms. Hibari is clung close to Senpai's arm. Out of the two of us, I guess she was hit the most by it.

"We probably should have stayed together. I sure would like to see what had you two catching your breaths."

No, Senpai, you probably wouldn't.

"At any rate, I hope that you didn't have too horrible a time with us yesterday."

"No, not at all. I actually had fun."

"Well that's good to hear. Well, since you had such a good time, would you mind coming with us again?" Senpai sounds like talks through to the world in a business deal. "When I say us, I mean Ms. Hibari. Unfortunately, I have important family business that requires my undivided attention, but Ms. Hibari seems set on this. It's not like I can stop her from going, but can I ask that you keep an eye on her?"

Important family business? So Senpai really does come from one of those big important families. So that's why he's so polite. But that's not really important right now, is it? Ms. Hibari want to go back to that other place, doesn't she? Is she crazy? I was scared out of my mind, and she wants to go back?

"Are you sure that you'll be alright, Ms. Hibari?"

"I'll be alright." she said.

"Are you sure about that?" Senpai didn't believe our story yesterday, but even he notices that Ms. Hibari is acting differently. "You've hardly said a word since we met up this morning."

"No, it's okay, Senpai. I'm just a little tired. That's all." Ms. Hibari's answer wasn't fooling anyone, but Senpai let didn't give it too much notice.

Now that we had our schedules planned out for the day, the three of us walked to school together. We were going to be early today.

…

I'm in the middle of Physical Science. The Science teacher, Mr. Furukawa's lectured us again today. The man has an obsession with bread. He's an okay teacher, but I can't take anything he says seriously when he stops every five seconds to rave about his favourite bread rolls.

…

School ended for the day, and I'm headed to the Natsukaze carnival grounds. Ms. Hibari isn't with me right now. We would have gone together, but that she needed to pick something up from home. I guess I'll just meet her there, but I wonder what's taking her so long.

"Hanchan!" that's Ms. Hibari now. She's carrying something over her shoulder in a purple sleeve. "Hanchan, I'm here. Sorry that I made you wait."

"That's okay. What did you have to go back for?"

"Just something to be safe." she takes the sleeve from over her arm and lets undresses it. Inside is a shinai similar to the ones used by the kendo club. Hell, she might've gotten it from the kendo club.

"I didn't know you practiced Kendo."

"I did it all through middle school. And my first year in high school too…."

"So you don't do it anymore?"

"No! I still do it, but… I don't do it at school anymore."

"Why not?"

"Um…. The kendo club picked on me a lot, so I ended up quitting…."

"Oh…." damn it, I ask too much. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that…."

"It's okay, Hanchan. It's not like you're a bully like those other people. You and Senpai are nice to me. So I'm happy."

If you're happy, try saying that with a smile. "Have you and Sakurayama-senpai been friends for a long time?"

Ms. Hibari shook her head. "No. I just met Senpai last year. Senpai made friends real easily and he was really popular, so I heard about him. It must be sad being popular."

"What makes you say that?"

"When people are popular they must not feel very good about themselves. I can tell, because they make fun of people like me who everyone this is weird to make themselves feel better. Isn't that sad?"

You know, I'm impressed by Ms. Hibari. "That is sad." even though she doesn't act like she's always there, she seems to know a lot about her surroundings. In fact, she probably said that better than I could.

"It is sad. Sakurayama-senpai… Senpai wasn't like that though." I finally start to see Ms. Hibari's smile again. It's wounded now, but it's still there. "Even though he was popular and made friends easy, he'd never make fun of me. And whenever someone did make fun of me, he would scold them. He was only a second year last year, but he'd even stand up to the third year students. He never cared about who said it. He'd always stand up for me. I liked it when he did that."

It's nice to hear Ms. Hibari so confident, but the way she makes everything sound so grim really put me down. It's kinda awkward, so I guess I'll change the subject.

"Well, we should probably get going." I couldn't have pulled that off less smoothly.

"Oh, yeah! We better get going."

…

"Well… here we are."

"Yeah…."

I don't think either of us are all that excited about this, but here we are…. That mirror, The Door to Expression…. That's what Ms. Hibari called it. It was a door somewhere alright, but nowhere I want to end up again. That's what I've been telling myself, but part of me wants to go back. On the other side of the door, I was more scared than I have ever been. I was terrified, but I found something there. I discovered a part of myself capable of incredible power. It was amazing….

"Hanchan, are you hungry?" Ms. Hibari's voice pulls me out of my stream of thought.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well you have the same look on your face that I have when that Chinese girl in 2-F brings her own lunch."

"What? No, I was just thinking about stuff."

"Does thinking make you hungry?"

I have no idea what Ms. Hibari is on about, so we end up going back to looking for the mirror. We find it again, but it wasn't that hard. That thing takes us to some other plane of existence, but it doesn't have feet. I want to go through it; I want to experience that power again. I want to experience it, but I realize that part of me still believes the events that took place beyond the door that day may only be something that I dreamed up. That thought terrifies me. That can't be true. Ms. Hibari was with me, she experienced what I did.

I find myself opposed to that mirror again today. I'm afraid of what I might or might not find beyond it. Now I must decide. Do I reach to that other world…? I may lack courage, but my will pulls me through my fear. What I want is just on the other side. Now is my time…. I'll do it.

I place my hand against the glass, and it is solid. My heart stops. I am saddened, but my stilled heart is made disquiet as I feel myself pass through. I reach that other world. And it is just as it was in my nightmare.

"Hanchan, this place is freaky…." Ms. Hibari was the one that wanted to come here, but she doesn't seem to be as excited about it. "What are we looking for, again?"

"Don't know, you were the one that wanted to come."

"Right…."

I don't think Ms. Hibari knew why she wanted to be here. Then again, I don't know why this place excites me so much, but whenever I think about what happened yesterday, my blood gets super charged, and I want to experience it again…. This place is addictive. That's the best way I can put it.

"Well… Hanchan, can you lead. I'm sorry, but…."

I feel like Ms. Hibari is beginning to depend me. That makes me happy for some reason.

"Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll be right here, 'kay?" that's probably the coolest thing I've said since I started living here.

Ms. Hibari and I go deeper into this world, and she sticks close to me as we walk. When we got stuck here yesterday, I thought that this world was some kind of mirror of the mirror house in the carnival, but I think this place is much bigger than that. We've passed through doors leading up from one floor to the next, but I never once seen a ceiling to this place. It's like we enter an entirely new world every time.

_Man, it's that weird girl again…._

I heard something. I heard someone talking, but I can't see them.

"Hanchan, did you say something?" Ms. Hibari must have heard it too.

_I heard that she joined the kendo club_….

_Wow, really? I feel sorry for those guys…._

I keep listening to what these voices are saying. Are they talking about Ms. Hibari?

_Hey, you better pipe down before her "boyfriend" catches you talking about her..._

_You mean Kobashomaru? I'm not worried. I hear that he doesn't like her that much either…._

_Is that right?_

Ms. Hibari clutches my arm even tighter. She doesn't want to hear it. "Stop…."

_Yeah. I heard she confessed to him the other day, and he turned her down..._

_Well, duh. He's a Sakurayama. I don't even get why one of them would talk to some retard…._

"Stop it, please…." the voices don't stop. They sound like guys from my school. They'd have to be to know so much. But what they're saying is awful.

_I'm sorry, but are you two friends of Ms. Hibari?_

That last one was Sakurayama-senpai's voice.

"Senpai!" Ms. Hibari calls out.

_Oh, Senpai!_

_We're sorry, we-_

_Yes, you two are sorry, aren't you?_

That's Senpai's voice alright. I recognize the sting of his sarcasm.

_Hey, just because you're our senpai doesn't mean you can talk down on us like that!_

_No, I'll talk down to you because you're worthless little shits._

_Hey!_

_Just let it go, man._

_Who would make fun of someone they don't know, other than worthless little shits?_

_You think you're so gre-!_

I hear the distinct sound of fists bouncing off some punks face. If I had to guess, Sakurayama-senpai knows some sort of martial arts. Ms. Hibari's hold on my arm lessens. She seems comforted, as if by a fond memory.

"That's right, Senpai didn't let anyone make fun of me."

_You, the one in the corner shaking like a leaf._

_Me‽_

_Yes, you might want to carry your friend home, now get out of my sight._

"Senpai, always looked out for me…."

_Well, Ms. Hibari, may I walk you home?_

"Senpai_…."_

_I really like you, Senpai!i_

This time, it was Ms. Hibari's voice that echoed in this place. It was hers, I'm sure of it, but when I looked back at her, she was struck by confusion. It was her voice, but she was not the one speaking.

_Senpai, you always do so much for me, so…._

"Stop it!" Ms. Hibari yelled at her own voice. I could tell, she knew where this was headed, and I could pretty much guess.

_Senpai, I really admire you for always sticking up for me, so I want…_

_I'm sorry, Asami, but I can't respond to your feelings._

That was Senpai's voice, and it was heavy as a whale.

_You're really cute, Asami-chan, but you know that I'm to inherit my father's place as family head…._

"But I really like you, Senpai!" that really was Ms. Hibari that time.

The voices are coming so fast, I'm starting to get confused by who's supposed to be talking. Now that Ms. Hibari is talking too, it's even hard to tell what's going on.

_Most likely, I will be married off to someone another Sakurayama, and…._

"That doesn't matter, Senpai!"

_Senpai, no…._

_I'm sorry, Asami-chan, but the possibility of anything happening between us…_

"Senpai!" Ms. Hibari is at her limit. She looks like she'll break down crying any second. "Senpai, no!"

_The possibility… is zero…._

That was it. That was it. That was all that she could take. Ms. Hibari fell to her face and started crying. "Why…. Senpai…."

"Ms. Hibari!" I don't know what to tell her.

We came to this place without knowing what it truly was. I came back because of what happened to us yesterday, but Ms. Hibari came for her own reason. This club of hers, Kobasho Company, it's her only tie to her only friends. She came out here, because she needed an excuse to hang out with me. She might have been traumatized by what happened to us, but that didn't matter. Her only friend was Sakurayama-senpai, who rejected her. And now she's here with me, not because she wants to, but because she has no one else.

I think I know what this place is now. This place is Hell.

**RRRAAAAAHH!**

This will get worse before it gets better….


	6. The Poltergeist

Every day since I've been here, I've woken up afraid that I would be bored to death in this shithole town. Today, I woke up excited for the first time. Now, I've never been so excited in my life. The thing is, I'm too afraid to enjoy it. I'm so afraid, I can't move. Every inch of my body tells me to turn around and run the fuck away. I want to run, but I'm paralyzed by fear as I look at it….

What is this thing I'm looking at? That's a good question, but I sure as hell don't know. It's so surreal – it's not even surreal; it's unreal. This is a monster unlike anything I've seen. It's even more messed up than those things I saw yesterday. It's wrong.

I see a mask. No that's not right…. I see half a mask, the bottom half. I see the broken off bottom half of a white mask and the painted on red smile that was on it. The mask wasn't worn by a person like me or Ms. Hibari. It was worn by a body, the bruised and naked body of a woman. She's crying….

"Senpai…." Ms. Hibari is crying too. I want to talk to her, but I don't know what to say.

I want to talk to her, but there's something else I need to take care of.

"I really like you, Senpai…."

I can't just sit here…. I have to use my Persona. My Persona!

"If you don't like me…."

"It's not working." no matter what I do, I can't do it. I don't remember how I did it yesterday, but I need to do it now. "Why won't it work‽ Persona!"

"Why don't you like me, Senpai…."

Why won't that girl shut up? Damn it, why isn't this working‽ "Thuban!" Nothing's happening!

I can't summon my Persona, but that monster isn't going away. It arms herself, or itself, whatever! It has a weapon now, two of them, broken kendo shinais. It has weapons, and I can't use my Persona!

"Thuban!" nothing's working!

"Senpai…!" she's still crying…!

Why isn't it working? Why can't I use my Persona? I don't get it. I did it before, yesterday! Why can't I do it again? Why can't I use Thuban‽ I really did do it, right? Of course I did. Didn't I? Ms. Hibari saw it, so I'm not just imagining things! I can't be….

"Senpai…." she's a broken record.

Ms. Hibari, she knows that I did it. She was there, she saw it! If she saw it, then I know I couldn't be imagining things! I'm not imaginings! "Persona!" all of that power, I know that it wasn't a lie. It can't be a lie. "Ms. Hibari!" she can tell me. She can tell me that I wasn't just seeing things! She was there!

"Senpai…." is that the only words she remembers‽

"Ms. Hibari, stop crying." I need you to tell me.

"I really do like you, Senpai…. Isn't that enough?"

"Sakurayama-senpai isn't here, Ms. Hibari!" focus, I need you to focus. Stop talking about Sakurayama-senpai.

"I'm not lying…. I really like you, Senpai…."

"Stop crying, damn it!" why won't she stop crying‽ "Why don't you stop crying‽" this isn't working…. Nothing's working! This is just fucked up…. This isn't right…. No. No. No. This can't be right! This isn't right! "Ms. Hibari!" I yell at her, but she won't stop crying. Not even for a second. I just need her to tell me what I need to know. I need her to tell me what she saw yesterday. I need her to tell me that she saw it, my Persona!

"Senpai…."

God damn, she is annoying. All she's done is cry, like that'll solve anything. I need her to just calm down for one second, but she can't even do that. I need her to stop. I need her to talk to me. If she can't talk to me, then what am I supposed to think? That everything I did yesterday was a lie? That I made it all up? No. That can't be what happened…. That isn't what happened!

"Don't just leave me all alone, Senpai…." god damn it.

After that, I don't know what went through my head. I didn't know what was happening, and I don't know if I cared. All I know is that I was mad, and Ms. Hibari was crying, and Ms. Hibari wouldn't stop crying…. I just hit her. I hit her as hard as I could, and for just a second, the crying stopped. It finally stopped….

"So what, if some guy doesn't like you like that‽ You two are still friends right‽" I have no idea what I'm saying anymore. "So he doesn't want to date you, big deal! Find some other guy, or don't! It doesn't really matter to me. Just stop crying! I'm about to break down here, and all I hear is your crying! Do you have any idea how irritating that is, how you are‽ Extremely! I mean seriously! You talk to him every day, that was a year ago, and you're just letting this out now‽ Don't you have parents you could talk to, or a guidance counsellor? Damn!"

"Hanchan?" she looks at me with this stupid, stunned expression, but at least she's not crying.

"Do you know why people think you're weird?" I have no idea what I'm saying, but she's listening. "You're too forward, you get too excited, you always have too much energy, and I don't think you think things through all the way! If you just slow down for one second, maybe people won't think you're so weird." I'm pretty sure it was my adrenaline talking, but I think that I'd do pretty good as a shrink. "I know that people say that you should find friends that'll like you for who you are, but not everyone will like you for who you are. Try reading a trendy magazine, or join a club and shut your mouth. Just stop being so **WEIRD**!"

"Hanchan… when did you put that mask on?"

After everything I say, she worries about a mask…. Wait, I'm wearing a mask?

"Huh?" I feel my face to check, and I notice that a white cloth hangs in the corner of my eye. I'm wearing a mask, and it wasn't any mask. It was a white hood that completely covered my face. I don't get how it ended up on my face without me knowing, but I think it's the same mask that I was holding in my hand yesterday when I came in here. I don't remember what I did with it, but here it is on my head now.

I hear a loud crash behind me.

"Thuban!" I see it. That same black serpent that I saw the other day, the other me, my Persona! "It's real!"

Thuban is fighting the same monster that I saw earlier, and he is kicking ass.

….

The monster is down and out. It must be dead; it isn't moving. Ms. Hibari isn't crying anymore, but her cheek is starting to swell….

"Hanchan…." oh no, is she going to start crying again? "Thanks…."

"What are you thanking me for?" all I did was punch her in the face.

"What you said earlier, it was really mean, but I think you're right…."

"Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't be." Ms. Hibari comes closer to me, but her eyes are locked on to that monster like she's in some sort of trance. "It was mean, but you're not wrong. I try to make friends, but I try too hard, and I end up scaring everyone away. Believe it or not, I used to be really shy. Senpai was the one that told me I needed to be more outgoing to make friends, but he never told me that being too bold was a bad thing. You did, so… thanks."

"He cares about you too, but I think that he didn't want to be the one to scare you back into being shy or something." I've calmed down, but I'm still not sure what I'm talking about. "I only said it because I wasn't thinking straight."

"Yeah, but you said it, and I'm okay now, so why didn't Senpai…."

"Do you like Sakurayama-senpai?"

"Yes, but when he rejected me last year…."

"It hurts to be rejected. It's happened to me before."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but when I got rejected, I was able to laugh it off. I guess I didn't really like the girl enough to care, but you really liked Senpai."

"Yeah, I did like Senpai, and I still might. But I won't let him be my friend at an arm's length anymore." I can feel Ms. Hibari's strong resolve. She looks confident, but I see that her face looks more surprised. "What?"

I see a blue light coming from Ms. Hibari's monster…. Ms. Hibari's monster?

"Hanchan, this is… like before."

I the blue smoke follows the light. In the smoke, I see a vague outline of a woman. When the smoke clears, what I see is… the vague outline of a woman. It looks alien, like the monsters I've seen before, but this one doesn't feel quite as threatening. Black eyes, and a body made from a strange green substance. There was no doubt; this was Ms. Hibari's true, inner self. It was much different from mine.

"Poltergeist." Ms. Hibari puts a name to it, in her hands I see a mask. Again, hers is different from mine. It was a plastic mask like the ones you buy from summer festivals. A plastic oni mask. "This is my Persona."

"I guess it suits you." that wasn't a complete lie.

…

Ms. Hibari and I leave the otherworld together. I've offered to walk her home, but she would only agree to let me go half way.

"Thanks for coming with me, Hanchan."

"I wish you'd let me walk you to your house."

"Wouldn't that be to bold, Hanchan?"

"Well you already, call me Hanchan, so why not?"

"I call you that because you're my friend, Hanchan."

She's ending every sentence with my name. "How would you like it if I call you Asami-chan?"

"That would be to bold."

"There's a double standard somewhere in there."

"Yeah well, I'm a girl, so it works for me."

"That's horribly sexist."

"It doesn't work for boys." Ms. Hibari is making jokes with me again. That's at least better than hearing her sob. "Hey, Hanchan… I do still like Senpai, but I'm not going to let myself get sick over it."

"Well, I guess that's okay."

"Yep. Senpai is still my friend, and that means I have an advantage over every other girl in school. Even his cousins."

Ms. Hibari's last line resonates with me. "So Senpai comes from **that** kind of family?" the Sakurayama-daikazoku?

"You know, I might not need that advantage, Hanchan."

"Why's that?"

I see a mischievous smile on that girl's face that wasn't there a second ago. "Because now, I think that there's another boy I might like."

When I hear that Ms. Hibari – wait, what‽

"I can walk by myself from here. Bye bye, Hanchan. See you at school!" Ms. Hibari blushes as she said this. "And by the way, I'd be happy if you'd call me Asami."

Ms. Hibari runs off, and I'm left with a whole fist to the face full of questions. I begin to feel traces of Ms. Hibari's affection… as I am standing alone on the street.

…

Red…. I see lots of red. It looks like a bar room.

"Well, look what the alley cat dragged in…" that voice. It's familiar, and I hate it. "Garbage. Looks like the tavern needs to be swept clean."

I see two men here. The one with the attitude…. I remember now. This isn't the first time I've been here. Wait…. I've seen this place before, but I don't think I've ever been here. Even now, I'm not sure if I'm really here.

"Did you just get out of bed? You look like you've been sleeping all your life." there's this ass whole…. "I'm saying you look like crap, boy."

His name is Mister Stag. Foreigner: definitely. Dressed like a drunk in a suit. He sits at the customer side of the bar on a stool, but he talks like he runs the place. Everything about him tells me I won't like him, but with everything I don't like, the weirdest thing about him…. His hair…. It's shaved into this weird ring like he's some old time English friar. I just don't like him.

"Congratulations on forging your first Social Link." this other guy behind the counter isn't so bad.

This one is called Mr. Singleman. He's behind the bar, so I guess he's the keep. If not, he sure dresses the part. Don't know if he's an eagle boy or not; he might be a halfer. His hair is white, but I he looks around Karen's age or younger. He's okay.

"Why don't you open up the compendium, Mister Stag?" Mr. Singleman is much more polite than his friend.

Baldy isn't so nice. "Sure, why not? It's not like we have anything better to do." ass hat. "The Devil Arcana, huh? Isn't that just wonderful? You sure know how to pick'em, Nip."

I want to punch this guy in the face, but I don't think they can even hear me talk.

"Now that you have created this new 'Social Link', the power of your Persona will begin to waken." Mr. Singleman explains something that I can't possibly understand.

If you guys are going to talk about stuff I don't know, tell me why I'm here.

"Ah, yes…. The Wild Card? The Fool…. The number zero. All of them apply to you."

Baldy, I'm gonna beat you….

"The next time we meet, we will hopefully be able to tell you more about your power."

"Yeah, If you survive. I wouldn't put my money on it."

"Good bye, and I hope that you've enjoyed your time here, in Tavern Red."


	7. School Clubs

"Hello, and welcome to Tavern Red…. I am Mr. Singleman." I receive an unusually pleasant reception from Mr. Singleman of Tavern Red. I'm not sure what happened to that stuck-up baldy, but I don't really care. "I'm sorry that Mr. Stag wasn't here to greet you," I'm sure as hell not. "but… you know, I have no idea why Mr. Stag isn't here with us."

Mr. Singleman doesn't look like he knows what to do. This is the first time I've been here without that stuck-up baldy giving me one of his "warm welcomes".

"Well, seeing as how Mr. Stagusually handles the compendium…." baldy handles the Persona book, but what do you do, Mr. Singleman? "This…. This very situation may be why I am here. To tend to our guest in the absence of Mr. Stag." don't you know your own job description, Mr. Singleman? "Welcome to Tavern Red!"

Mr. Singleman seriously doesn't know what he's doing.

"Yes, well…. I would like to congratulate you again on forging your Social Link of the Devil Arcana. With this new link, you have access to a new Arcana as well as all the power of your own. Your powers to create Persona of the Devil Arcana will definitely aide you in your journey."

Journey? What journey? You mean this isn't over?

"The power to utilize your Persona has been awakened in you for some reason. What your exact purpose may be, I was not made privy to."

You and me both, bro.

"I can't say that I can peer into the future like Mr. Stag does, but I know that for you to continue on the your path as you are now, with your Social Links so few in number, will only cause complication. You must continue to forge these true bonds, and then your path may not be over such shaky ground. In fact, I believe that you will soon be given the chance to increase your number of true Social Links very soon. Call it a gut feeling."

Mr. Singleman is a curious man. Or boy. Honestly I can't tell if he's all that much older than I am, but I'd think he'd at least be done with high school. He's much more polite than Mr. Baldy and a lot less comfortable with his job. But I don't think he even knows what his job is.

"You have already started on your journey, even if you don't know where you're headed. Perhaps that makes your journey that much more important, doesn't it?" I say goodbye to Mr. Singleman. I think that my time with him has given me even more to think about, but I think that I've finally figured something out. Whatever is going to happen to me, will be the reward, or consequence, of my own choices. "Goodbye, and please come again, to Tavern Red."

…

"I had that dream again…." how many times does that make it? Three times I've dreamt about Tavern Red. What is Tavern Red, and why did I start only start to have dreams about it since I went into that other world?

I don't know what all that stuff is about, maybe my brain is just trying to make me feel better.

"Honey-boy, breakfast is ready!" Karen makes the breakfast call.

Persona talk later. It's time to eat!

I enjoy an absolutely delightful breakfast with my divine cousin Karen. Wow, I could learn to love this food.

"Karen, could you cook like this for me forever?" I was only joking, but I got Karen's attention.

Seriously, I think I aggravated her; she stopped cleaning her own plate. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was just kidding."

Karen seems… I'll say she looks relieved. I'm really not sure what to make of that look on her face.

"Your girlfriend is waiting for you. She down by the gates now."

"Asami isn't my girlfriend."

"Then how'd you know who I was talking about?"

"Cause she's the only girl at my school I know by name."

"Well you must be pretty friendly with her. You called her Asami, right?"

"That's her name."

"That's her first name."

I see where she's going, and I see where I'm going; out the door. Goodbye, nosy cousin. "I've got to go. School, y'know."

"Okay, but I don't want to get any calls about PDA."

I leave my cousin and her teasing to meet Asami, who must get up pretty early in the morning to meet me every day. I sometimes wonder if my internal clock will adjust once I've lived here for a while.

"Good morning, Ms. Hibari." I greet her with my usual gusto…. Okay, maybe gusto isn't the right way to put it.

"Hanchan, I told you to call me Asami. Senpai does it, why can't you?" because calling you that to your face is embartassing.

"Senpai only calls you that when he's talking to you."

"Well, that's the only he has to." as always, Sakurayama-senpai can do no wrong. I think Senpai is a cool guy too, but why does she idolize him? "What do you call me when you talk to other people?"

"Why does that matter?"

Asami and I walk to school together. Today is unusually awkward because we don't have much to talk about and we don't want to bring up that other world no matter how much both of us want to…. That and Sakurayama-senpai isn't here with us. Asami told me that he still has important family business to attend to; he won't be coming to school today. I want to see what kind of business his family deals with.

"Hey, Hanchan. Aren't you tired? From…." she's really trying not to say it.

"Who me? No." I cut her off to save her the trouble.

"Wow, you must have a lot of stamina, Hanchan."

"Yeah well, I always tried to keep in shape back home. There isn't a gym anywhere around here though."

"Well, you could try joining a club to keep up your exercise."

Asami pitches a good idea for a change. I wonder what kind of clubs this school has. "Are any of the sports clubs still accepting new members?"

"They are."

"All of them?"

"There are only two sports clubs here: track and kendo."

There's only two? "That's it?"

"It's a small school, Hanchan. We don't have that many people here who bother to join any clubs."

"This really is the boondocks, isn't it?" every day I remember how far from real civilization I am. "What do you recommend, Asami?"

"Not kendo." her face sours.

"You said that pretty quick…."

…

At Asami's recommendation not to join the kendo club, I find myself out in front of the track club afterschool. I don't know how things work here, so I'm not sure what I have to do to join a club…. I guess I'll just see if I can find anyone around here who looks like they'd know, but all of the guys are already running.

In the corner of my eye, I see this cute looking short girl with a clipboard. She must be the club manager.

"Huh?" her voice is tiny….

I think I might have interrupted something. "I'm sorry, are you busy?"

"Oh? No. I'm not doing anything." she makes a pitiful attempt to hide her clipboard behind her back.

I wonder what she's been scribbling on there, but that's none of my business right now. "Are you the club manager? I'm new here, so I wasn't sure who I was supposed to talk to."

"Oh, you want to join track?" the girl looks panicked, but I can't see why. This shouldn't be anything new to her. "I-I'm not the manager, I'm just an assistant. I can get her for you if you want to join, but I'm pretty sure she's busy getting everyone's time."

"Oh, well that's cool. I'll just wait here then."

I don't think my saying that was a good thing. This girl looks like a wreck. "Umm…. Are you okay?"

"O-O-Oh, yes…. I'm doing just fine." she's lying. She's really nervous. "Umm…. W-What did you say your name was again?"

"Me? I'm Hanimaru Sado, but everyone just shortens it to Hani."

"Hani Sado? Oh, I think I've heard about you. You're the upperclassman who transferred from the city, right?" she thinks I'm from the big city, too. "Well, you told me your name…. This is the part where I tell you mine, right?"

This girl needs a hug. I don't even know why, but she needs a hug…. But I'm too self-conscious to do it. "That's how it usually goes."

"Y-Yes…. My name is Aoi Umezaki. It's nice to meet you, Sado-senpai."

With the trial of our introductions done with, Ms. Umezaki and I pass the time with small talk. That's what I tried to do, but Ms. Umezaki isn't all that talented in keeping up a conversation.

"I think that they're done for today. Come with me, Senpai."

I follow Ms. Umezaki to two of our Senpai. A senior girl, who I'll guess is the manager, and a really sweaty guy. He's probably the captain, but I'm not quite as sure with this one.

"Senpai!" Ms. Umezaki calls for someone, but both of our Senpai turn to face us. "Someone wants to join track."

"Is that so, Aoi?" the club manager speaks with her. "Did you hear that, Hanamaki?"

Now it's the sweaty guy's turn to speak. "Yeah, yeah…." he looks tired. "I'm Akito Hanamaki, I'm the captain of this here team. Now, who're you?"

"Hanimaru Sado. How do you do?"

"How do you do? You're that kid from the city, ain't ya?"

I notice that Ms. Umezaki and the club manager are walking away. After speaking to Hanamaki, I kinda wish I could too. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, but… I don't think that he'd be someone I'd normally hang out with…. Then again, I thought the same thing about Asami.

"You ever on the track team from your old school, City Man?"

I never said I was from the city, and I don't get where these people got the idea that I was. "No, this is my first time."

"You ever run at all?"

"Only when I've had to." I don't think Hanamaki likes my answers.

"Whatever. That just gives me more reason to say what I'm about to say. Don't think that just because you're from the city means I'm gonna just let you slip practice and shit." he takes his position very seriously. I can admire that. "I'm not 'bout to go discriminating anybody just because they're some slow ass bum from the city. 'Specially not when half the slow asses I've got don't even show up to practice. I'm gonna do you a favour, City Man, I'm gonna let you in, but only because we're strap shorter than Umezaki for good runners. You better run your weight!"

I don't understand how this guy let me join after saying all that about me. More than that, why am I even staying in when this ass hole keeps messing with me?

"Good luck, City Man. Glad 'ta have ya!" this guy….

…

Okay, I decided not to be an ass and help Hanamaki and the club managers clean up. Aside from being as rough on the edges as a hacksaw, he seems okay. Still, talking to him for too long will drain my brains. I'm done with all that for today. This is just for my exercise. Practice is on Tuesdays and Thursdays when it isn't raining.

I'm done. I'm going to get my shoes, and I'm going to go home... I see something short at the shoe rack my mine are on. That short thing is Ms. Umezaki.

"Hm? Sado-senpai?" I see something in her hands, but she tucks it behind her back before I get the chance to see. "W-W-What are you doing here, Senpai?"

I think on what a girl like Ms. Umezaki would be doing at a shoe rack that I don't think is hers. Then, it hits me. "Is that a love letter?"

Ms. Umezaki turns bright red. "No!" for something that isn't a love letter, she's awfully defensive about it. "I-It's not a love letter, but… it's just as embarrassing."

Now, I'm really interested. I feel like a detective, putting together pieces of facts that no normal person would think about to solve the mystery. That's how I feel, but I'm just guessing stuff. "It isn't a love letter?" what is something a girl would be embarrassed about that isn't a love letter. "You're putting your panties in some guy's shoe locker?"

"Senpai!"

As it turns out, my guess was wrong. Ms. Umezaki agreed to tell me what she was hiding if I promise not to start any weird rumours. I don't think I'm the type to start rumours, but I'm bored and this is interesting.

Ms. Umezaki walks me to the shopping district, so that no one would here. Apparently she lives here with her parents in an electronics shop up town.

"I hope no one sees us together…." she seems worried, but I'm kinda offended by that.

I'm not seriously mad, but she looks like she'd be fun to tease. "That's not nice…."

She hears me speak up, and she takes it seriously. "N-No! I didn't mean it like…." Ms. Umezaki gives up and stays quiet. Maybe the decision to tease her was wrong.

"Take it easy. I was just kidding."

Ms. Umezaki calms down. If I haven't said it before, this girl is a very nervous person. "I'm sorry…."

"Don't be sorry. I'm just playing around."

"Oh? Well, sorry…?" this girl really does need a hug…. "I did it again…. I'm sorry…. Oh, damn it!"

I want to laugh, but I probably shouldn't. "Ms. Umezaki, what did you have that that made you so embarrassed too show me earlier?"

She looks at me with a pitiful face. Aww…. "Will you promise that you won't tell anybody?" Ms. Umezaki pulls out a rolled up sheet of paper. As she unrolls it, I see a sketch outline of the track field. It's pretty good.

"Did you draw this?"

She nods. This is her work alright. "The school encourages everyone to join a club, even if not everyone shows up for practice or meetings. When the school year started I wanted to join the art club, but I found out that it was dissolved last year because of a lack of interest." that's saying something when all you need is two members to make a club.

"So you drew this for fun?"

"Well…. That's not really why I drew it. You see, I found out that there was a boy in the second year who really liked art, so I thought that I would put this in his locker with a note to see if we could make a new art club."

"So that's why, you were at the shoe lockers."

"Couldn't I have just been getting my own shoes?"

Honestly that thought never crossed my mind. "I've never seen you around my locker before, so I got curious."

"Oh! That's true isn't it…." and Sado makes a save. "Promise you won't tell anyone, Senpai?"

"I promise." Ms. Umezaki looks relieved, but I still sense a lingering doubt around her. I think there's a little more I can do. "Do you need any help?"

"W-What?" she looks stunned.

"Well, you want to start an art club right? You only need two members, so if you and I start a club now, it'll be easier for you to bring in new people."

"Y-You'd do that, Senpai?" Ms. Umezaki's eyes sparkle. She is genuinely happy, and I think I might've helped. "You're wonderful, Senpai! Thank you very much!"

"Yeah well, I don't know all that much about art, so you'll have to teach me."

"Does that make me your Sensei, Senpai?" she's giggling. It's cute.

"Sensei…?" it's not like I have anything to lose. I've never really cared all that much about art, but it could be fun. "Sure, why not?"

"I-I was just kidding, Senpai!"

"I'm in your hands." I'm probably embarrassing Ms. Umezaki, but she really is fun to tease. I think that this really might be fun. "Please take good care of me, Umezaki-sensei."


	8. Our Accomplishments

"Time…‽" I'm almost out of breath! Sheesh! "Time…? What's my time…?"

Ms. Umezaki is the first to approach me. "Wow, Senpai! You beat Hanamaki-senpai again!" ever since we started that art club together, I feel like she's been paying special attention to me. This must be her way of saying thank you. It makes me feel like I'm being paid for my good deeds, and I appreciate that.

How many times have I beaten him already?

"Aw, shit!" Hanamaki kicks up a lot of dirt, but he actually takes his losses pretty well. "Damn it. Stupid city punk must be pull'n some sorta special training behind my back."

I think to myself, but I honestly can't say I've done any special training to improve my running. "Sorry, I don't really do much running outside of club practice."

"That's bullshit!" I've seen a lot of people get accused of cheating because they do good, but this is the first time I've ever been accused of practicing outside of school because I beat a guy. It would almost be flattering if he'd say it nicer. "Listen, ya little twat, I've got my eye on ya. You take every Thursday off. That's when you must be when you do your secret training."

Actually, Art Club meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Ms. Umezaki said that we should probably meet up on Saturdays too, when it's not raining.

"You beat me a couple times, but that's because we're running on times alone. That Umezaki could've messed up her timer for all we know."

"Hey, Ms. Umezaki didn't mess anything up." I know that Hanamaki's statement is probably untrue, but when I see Ms. Umezaki's face look like she just shot somebody's Seeing Eye Dog, my confidence drops. "Don't get mad 'cause I beat you."

Hanamaki realizes that what he said was wrong, and apologizes. "Sorry, you're right. It ain't like me to get worked up like that. Still, you know what I mean. If me and you went one-on-one, you'd choke to death on the dust from my victory lap."

"I can run just as fast as you can."

"Oh, yeah? We'll ain't you just so confident for a kouhai?" now he's being funny. "Alright, City Man, we'll have a race. You and me. We ain't keeping times. We'll do it like old school. First one to break the ribbon loses. A thousand – no – a thousand 'n five hundred meters!"

I'm gonna die. "You're on!" I'm gonna die. I've got speed, but I'm not sure if I've got the stamina. I'm gonna die.

"Okay, City Man. You're confident, and I can respect that. That is, if you weren't such a worthless stain of shit!" I think Hanamaki and I are becoming much closer. "I expect ten more laps outta you. Ya know why? 'Cause I'm 'bout ta do twenty! Now, get yer ass in gear!"

…

I've got art club today. I thought it would be hard balancing two clubs, but I've been doing okay. Technically I've been doing three clubs, but Kobasho Company hasn't done much since me and Asami went back to Natsukaze. Actually, I haven't even seen Sakurayama-senpai since that day. He's probably been at school, but I haven't seen him. I should probably go see him during lunch or something.

"Sado-kun, your brush strokes are too hard." I hear Umezaki-sensei's voice. I now remember that I was painting fruit. "You want to be careful with your colors. Especially when they're that, um… colourful?" she probably had a word in mind, but couldn't say it.

I'm actually having fun here. I didn't think I would, but I'm having fun here. We're playing up the teacher/student thing, and I think it just makes it easier for Ms. Umezaki to talk when it's like we're playing a game. Role-play is what it is, and it's completely healthy…. Wait, what did I just say?

"Thanks, Sensei. I wasn't focusing."

"That's no good, Sado-kun." I'm being scolded, but this is fun. "You have to pay attention to your brush, and your work. If you can't take this seriously, I'll have to take that brush away from you."

As it turns out, Ms. Umezaki is very knowledgeable about these kinds of things. It's actually pretty easy to understand what she means. She got me started a little above my pay grade, but I'm doing my best, so I've already caught up. We still don't have any funding, so she brought an easel for us to work on. We can only go one at a time, so I'll have to wrap up my work quickly so that she can get the most out of this. This club is mostly for her benefit.

"Hey, Ms. Ume – I mean – Umezaki-sensei, do you have another easel at home?"

"I did, but your using it."

"This is the only one you have‽"

"Well, yes…."

"Then how do you practice at home?"

"Well… I can't anymore, but once we get some more equipment, I'll be sure to take mine back. R-Really!"

"Why would you bring it to school if you don't have another one to use at home?"

"Well, you helped me start the club, so I wanted to give you a way to practice too. I'm supposed to be you're Sensei, remember?"

"Yeah, but why don't you just practice at home instead of bringing all your stuff here?" I was just making conversation, but I think I'm making her uncomfortable.

"W-Well… I-I get lonesome when I'm all by myself." Ms. Umezaki lowers her head.

Now, I feel uncomfortable. I should probably change the subject. "Hey, so how's recruitment going?"

She looks stunned, but I can tell that she's relieved I changed the subject. "R-Recruitment…? What about it…."

"Have you talked to anyone who might want to join the club?"

"Join? Well… I guess that I haven't really talked to anyone about it yet…." she looks really embarrassed.

"Well, don't you need more people to keep this place running?" I agreed to help Ms. Umezaki get the club started, but I didn't really plan on staying with it.

"Aren't we enough?" she looks up at me. I can hear a bit of fear in that tiny voice of hers. I wasn't going to leave until the art club got more people in it. I guess that Ms. Umezaki thought that I'd be a permanent. "Senpai…?"

Now, I've got a choice. Do I want to stay with Ms. Umezaki, or do I want to leave. My life won't change much either way…. Ms. Umezaki would probably be upset with me. I don't want her to just give up, or shut down the art club or anything…. Art club three days a week isn't that bad.

"We're enough." I cave. I feel like I got suckered in by a girl's puppy dog eyes, but I'm fine with that. "I'd be nice if we had other people here though."

Ms. Umezaki smiles…. She has a nice smile. "Okay, I'll try and talk to some people."

I wonder if she can talk to people without getting nervous…. I should probably go with her. "I'll go with you." I guess I know what I'm doing for lunch tomorrow.

I decide to spend my lunch time with Ms. Umezaki tomorrow.

…

Today's the day of my big race with Hanamaki. The dude forbade anyone from setting foot on the track. I doubt anyone really came here to run; half of them aren't even in their gym clothes. They came because they want to see us race. The entire team is scared shitless of Hanamaki, but both of us are getting pretty good support. I guess that his rough exterior and ridiculous fervour are part of why people like him. He can come off as an ass hole, but he's actually fun to be around.

I see Hanamaki arguing with the club manager girl. I say that they're arguing, but she looks like the only one arguing. Hanamaki just nods with a smile on his face. He spots me and comes over to talk.

"Yo, City Man!" that nickname is staying, isn't it? "Come over 'ere. I wanna talk to ya." he pulls me to the side. I don't know why, he's being so secretive.

"What's up."

"The race, moron."

"Is that all you think about?"

Hanamaki smiles, and it scares me. "What's the point in thinking about stuff that isn't right infront of you. Out there, today, I'll be just you and me, City Man. Ain't you excited?"

"Well, yeah…."

"Good, 'cause if you ain't excited, I'd hafta tear you liver out."

"That's oddly specific…."

"It ain't like I've never loss to anybody, but when I beat your ass, no hard feelings right?" he's as confident as ever. "And in the off chance that you beat me…. Same from me, 'kay?" Hanamaki extends his hand to me.

What else am I supposed to do? I take it.

"Sado-senpai! Hanamaki-senpai!" I hear my name, and I see my tiny sensei running up to us.

"How come she said your name first?" is he jealous?

"Jealous?"

"No…." there's an uncomfortable feeling of doubt coming from Hanamaki.

"I just wanted to wish you both good luck, Senpai." said Ms. Umezaki.

"Some of the girls wanted to make headbands for you guys, but we ended up arguing over who we wanted to give it to." there were girls arguing over us? "We could've made two, but we decided that it'd be more fun just to make one for the winner."

Ms. Umezaki pulls out a long strip of white cloth. On it were the English words "Track Stud" in fancy calligraphy…. I don't know if I want to wear that.

"It was supposed to say 'Track Star' but I goofed on my caligraphy. Everyone thought it sounded funny, so we kept it." Ms. Umezaki explains the odd choice of English for us, and I am left to conclude that the girls at this school are odd. "Oh, and Sado-senpai…? T-There's something I want to show you after the race…. Don't get too surprised, okay?"

Ms. Umezaki ran off…. I think she's improving.

"Tch…." Hanamaki looks bothered. "Why do you get all that…?"

"Jealous…?"

"No!" Hanamaki is really jealous.

…

This is it, me verses Hanamaki. No holds barred…. Actually, it'd be bad if I grabbed onto him while we're running, so I won't do that. Still the tension is high. I was never sure why he insisted we race. I first thought that he just didn't want to get showed up by a second year, but now I think he's doing it for fun.

The race is for 1500m. This is insane, but I'm already here, so why not?

"Good luck, Sado-senpai!" Ms. Umezaki is cheering for me, but a few seconds in, she realizes that she's the only one taking sides. "A-A-And you too, Hanamaki-senpai!" now, she's flustered.

I hear Hanamaki's low growling beside me. He's already positioned to sprint. He probably doesn't plan on losing….

"San… ni… ichi… zero!" that was our signal to go!

I start my run, but Hanamaki starts in a sprint! He's gonna get tired quicker, but there's already a good distance between us. I increase my pace…. By the halfway point, I've almost caught up, and he's starting to slow. I'm tired, but I can't stop here…. He's still in the lead, but if I pull a sprint now, I might win…. I'm really out of shape…. As we approach the finish line, I'm still behind, but I can still win…. I can win, but Hanamaki wants this more…. Why am I even doing this? I agreed to a race, but I didn't think about what it would mean for my Senpai, who had probably been doing this since middle school. I'm a year behind him, and I just started not too long ago. What will it mean for him if I win? This isn't right…. I'm still behind, but that's okay….

I could try sprinting and make an attempt to finish first, but I might upset my Senpai. On the other hand, I could sprint up just enough to get close to him without getting a head, but if I make it too obvious, it'll make Senpai look bad….

I'll let him win, but I have to make it look close. I sprint up beside him, but even this takes more effort than I thought…. Having gone this long without slowing my pace is really making this tough…. I just barely manage to keep up, but this is all I need….

"Congratulations, Sado-senpai!" Ms. Umezaki is the first to congratulate me on my victory…. Huh?

"Well, shit! That was good, City Man. Thought I had ya, but I didn't…." even Hanamaki congratulates me.

While I was pondering what to do, I must have ended up in front of Hanamaki when we crossed the finish…. I guess that makes me the winner…. I won?

"I won?" I'm beat….

"Well you won, City Man…." Hanamaki stops for a second, and thinks. "You know what? I can't call you City Man anymore. You're a Kobasho man now." Hanamaki accepts me as… a guy from Kobasho? I don't really know, but he seems sincere. Amidst all his praise, he takes the headband the girls made and hands it to me. "You're one of us, man."

…

After the race, everyone headed down to a diner down in the market district. I wonder if the place can fit us all, but it helps that none of the clubs in this school have very many people in them. Track is no exception. Hanamaki and the club manager took everyone and headed out first.

Right now, Ms. Umezaki pulled me away to talk.

"Congrats, Senpai."

"Thanks, Ms. Umezaki, but you don't have to keep saying that."

Ms. Umezaki bites her top lip. She still isn't sure what to say. "I know that. I'm still not very good at talking to people."

"That's okay, you'll learn."

"If I've learned anything, it's thanks to you, Senpai." she smiles at me again…. "You remember that upperclassman I told you about before, the one whose locker you caught me by?"

"Yes…. Takeru, right?"

"Yeah…. He talked to me earlier, and said that he wanted to join."

"That's good. Then it's mission accomplished, right?"

"Yeah…. Senpai, will you still come to practice sometimes?"

"Sure I will."

"That's good…. You know, you can't call me sensei when other people around, so I'll miss that."

"Yeah, that was kinda fun, huh?" I notice that Ms. Umezaki has held her clipboard behind her back this entire time. What is she hiding from me now? "What do you have there, Ms. Umezaki?"

"Um…." she's nervous, but she turns her clipboard for me to see anyway. There's a picture hanging there. It's the same sketch drawing that I caught her with before we started the art club. "T-This is for y-y-y-y…." she stutters to a stop. "This…. This is for you, Senpai."

"You're giving me this?"

"Y-yeah…." Ms. Umezaki's eyes shift from me to her feet several times before she's able to speak again. "Senpai, if you hadn't helped me, I don't think that I'd have the guts to start a club, but you did help me. Thanks to you, I'm the club captain now!" she looks so proud. "I'm giving you this to say thank you, but… it's a little embarrassing, so I can only give it to you if you promise me one thing…."

"What's that?"

"From now on…. Could you please call me by my given name?"

There is silence. At first, it is uncomfortable, but I find myself smiling anyway. I feel warm now. I feel happy that Ms…. I'm happy that she'd ask that, and I'm happy to oblige. "Okay, Aoi." she looks happy, too.

"Well, let's hurry up. I told Sakurayama-senpai that I wouldn't you up for too long."

Part of Aoi's statement catches my ear. "Sakurayama-senpai? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well, Sakurayama-senpai is the track club's manager."

It's clear to me now that we're talking about two different Sakurayamas.

"Her name is Ume Sakurayama. You've been here awhile now Senpai. You still don't know the manager's name?" I ask Aoi if Ume Sakurayama is related to Kobashomaru Sakurayama. As it turns out, they are cousins. "Kobashomaru-senpai is Ume-senpai's cousin, distantly, but I don't think that they know each other that well…. I don't think that Ume-senpai likes him…."

…

I see… red.

"Oh…. It's you…." oh great…. this asshole. "What? Didn't you miss me while I was gone?"

Mr. Stag is back. I feel a pain in my head, and Mr. Singleman is staying quite today. He looks like a kid who did something wrong.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your time since we last me, Nip." I could enjoy it a lot more if I never saw you again, baldy. "It looks like you've had fun."

Baldy opens his book. There I see two pictures. They look like….

"The Chariot from the runner, and The Sun from the painter."

Mr. Singleman finally moves to speak, and I'm glad. For a while, I thought that baldy would be the only one to talk. "As you continue to build upon your 'Social Links' the power you have to create new personas will strengthen."

"The Devil, The Chariot, The Sun, and… maybe The Fool, but I could be wrong on that one." baldy eyes Mr. Singleman, who looks nervous. "You're still nothing to bother with, Nip. Singleman'll have to keep an eye on you for your next big fight."

Big fight?

"Me‽"

"Well, I'm not gonna do it."

These two…. I don't get what they're talking about. Big fight, The Fool…. The only word I recognized out of all that was Persona, and I don't know much about that either….

"Goodbye, and please join us again, in Tavern Red."


	9. Sakurayama daikazoku

"I didn't know that you had a cousin that went to school with us, Senpai." I bring up something frivolous to make for conversation.

Today I managed to wake up before Asami and Sakurayama-senpai got to the gates. And Sakurayama-senpai is actually walking with us again today. He said that he would be done with work for a while, but he still isn't telling me what his work is.

"Senpai has lots of family that go to the same school as us." said Asami.

"We all live on the same estate, so it's easier to go to one school." Senpai lives in an estate? "Although, some of my more pompous family would send their children a train ride away just to have them go to some overpriced private school."

"Well, you're your family's heir, right? Why don't you go to a private school?"

Senpai's eyes start to look bored. "I have. When I was younger, my esteemed father brought me with him all over Japan to give me a sense of culture. We'd be so mobile that I'd sometimes go through two or three schools in a single year."

"Sounds… tiring…."

"Not really, but I suppose I can only say that because I never knew anything else. When I started highschool, he gave me the option to stay in Kobasho with the family, or continue living with him."

"So you don't get to see your dad very often?"

"Not anymore, but I'm enjoying being grounded to one spot. I need to enjoy it while I still can. And I like living in Kobasho. It's nice and quiet, and I was named after it."

Kobasho…. **Kobasho**maru…. How did I never catch that?

"Think that there are at least five Sakurayama in the third year, and two or three in the second year." Asami speaks up to prove that she's not just part of the background. "I'm not sure about the first year…."

"And that's just the high school!" said Senpai.

"Senpai, isn't Manami-chan in middle school?"

Who's Manami-chan?

"No, she's still in elementary school, but she'll be there in a couple of years." Senpai must see my uninformed expression. "Manami is my _most darling _stepmother's daughter. She's seven years old right now."

"You have a little sister, Senpai?"

"Well, yes, but she's only my stepsister. We don't share blood through either of our parents, so we might as well be strangers."

I know that Senpai is only telling me the truth, but it sounds kinda harsh. He is talking about his sister, even if she is only his step sister.

"Senpai, that's so cold!" said Asami. She must have met Manami already. "How can you say something like that when you dote so much over Manami-chan."

"I do not 'dote' over her. She isn't my blood-sister, but I am still expected to watch over her." Senpai acts cool, but he really doesn't sound cool right now.

"Hanchan, don't listen to him. Senpai says that he and Manami-chan are strangers, but when she's around, he gets all mushy. It's really cute!"

"Ms. Hibari, you're speaking too much, again…." Senpai has a scary look in his eyes. His target is definitely Asami, but I think he means it to hit me too….

…

"So what's it like, your family's estate?" its lunchtime. I'm here with Kobasho Company shooting the breeze. "Is it really big?"

"It's huge!" Asami talks like she's been there before. She probably has. "There are a lot of houses all next to each other. It's like its own town!"

"Ms. Hibari is exaggerating slightly, but the estate is large enough to accommodate our family." said Senpai. "If you'd like, we could go there this afternoon."

"Can I come, Senpai?" asked Asami.

"Of course you can, Asami-chan. My darling mother enjoys your energy."

"I won't have enough time to bring my swimsuit will I?"

He has a pool?

"You can pick one up on the way. It's on me, but you'll have to make it quick, or we'll miss the bus." Sakurayama-senpai throws his money around pretty quick…. He has to take a bus to town, but he still manages to get to my house before I usually wake up. "I have a spare pair of trunks if you want to swim, Mr. Sado. We might even see Ms. Karen if we happen to be on the same section of the estate."

"If we happen to be on the same section…?" Senpai told me that it was an exaggeration to call it a town, but that's the image my brain is feeding me right now.

"While we're there, Hanchan should definitely meet Manami-chan."

"If we happen to be on the same section…."

What's with this guy and his little sister? Does he not like her or something? He's really sounding like a jerk.

"I'll have my darling mother know that we're coming, would you like to stay for dinner? I doubt that Ms. Karen would turn down the opportunity to stay as a guest."

"I'll call my parents." Asami was eager as ever.

"Well, that leaves you, Mr. Sado."

Senpai offered to let me stay for dinner. My cousin Karen works at his estate, so I probably don't have to worry about her wondering where I am. That's a good thing, and I'm really curious what Senpai's house looks like. "Sure, I'll go."

"I'll notify my darling mother to make arrangements." he makes it sound so formal.

Sakurayama-senpai comes from an old-fashioned family. That's the impression I got from how polite he always acts. I now know that his family is large enough to be broken into two a main branch and a lesser branch. He's the heir so that means his father must be the current family head. When I think to how his house must look, I keep getting this image of some large and extravagant home ripped out of some past period. I'll probably be dis appointed if that's the image I've got, but I still wonder what it must look like.

…

This place is fucking insane….

"Welcome to my family's humble estate."

**I FEEL HUMBLED**!

The entire Kobasho Company stands before an enormous fenced off complex. The stone fence looks like it is worth more than my parents' house! It surrounds the whole place. I see huge three to four, to five story buildings built in the old style. This place is insane, and I haven't even entered the gate yet.

"This place is huge!" why would someone with that kind of money let their kid go to a low key school like Ryokufuu‽ "Is this really your house?"

"I'm afraid it is." you don't look afraid, Senpai.

"It's really big isn't it, Hanchan?" asked Asami.

"Big? My hometown isn't as big as this!"

"Mr. Sado, I think you should stop and catch your breath."

Senpai and Asami are laughing their heads off at my expense. I can't get my mind off of how incredible this place is. Every home is no less than two stories in height, and each house has its own yard space. Everything is distributed evenly. The flowers are different, but almost every house looks the same. In the centre is one huge complex…. It can't be a single house. That thing has to be over five stories tall. I see balconies, red clay roofing, and intricate puzzle like designs on the walls left visible by open doors. Maids in traditional Japanese dress enter and exit the building at different levels. It feels like the floors of the house are moving….

People are walking around the town like…. I just called it a town….

"Are all of these people related to you?" I feel powerless to ask. This place has drained me of my senses.

"Through one way or another, we have pretty much every relation imaginable in our family."

Wow, to think that a little town like Kobasho would have such a large and wealthy family so close to it. There are a few Sakurayama kids in our school, but that's only a very small fraction of them. With all of these houses, I can't imagine how many of them there are. I'm sure that some of them live away from the estate too…. Where did Asami and Sakurayama-senpai go?

"Welcome, esteemed guest." that voice is familiar.

"Karen, you're my cousin…."

I meet my cousin Karen while wandering the Sakurayama complex. I'm wandering because I got separated from Asami and Sakurayama-senpai, and I've been getting more and more lost in this ridiculously confusing maze of a town of an estate. I haven't been this happy to see Karen since our last meal together.

"Whatever, I'm **so** glad to see you!"

"What are you doing here?" Karen asks me.

"Sakurayama-senpai invited me over."

"I knew that. Why are you out here? The young lord is waiting in the main building?"

"The young lord?" she must mean Sakurayama-senpai.

"I'm still in uniform, his family employed me. It's respectful." hey, she is in uniform.

When I heard that my cousin Karen worked as a maid, I admit to imagining her in a western style maid's outfit. I'm almost disappointed that it isn't real, but this is good too. She's wearing a dark red kimono – Aoi would probably call it auburn, art club, art club – and a white apron over it. The sleeves are longer than her arms…. This isn't so bad.

"You look cute in that uniform." why did I say that out loud?

"Huh?" Karen is blushing. If I was going to say that, I should've warned her. "D-Don't say something like that so suddenly! If I weren't you're cousin you probably would have scared me off." she's trying her best to scold me, but I can see that she's smiling. "Hurry up, this place is too big, so we'll have to hurry…. Hey, Hanimaru…?"

"You didn't call me Honey-boy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…. I just don't get called cute very often, so thanks... St-Still, I don't want you to do it ever again." at least she's not mad at me.

"No promises there…."

I follow my cousin Karen through the Sakurayama estate…. She is wearing a maid's outfit…. This is awesome….

…

Karen eventually leads me back to Sakurayama-senpai and Asami. Senpai teases me for getting lost, but that doesn't really matter because Sakurayama-senpai can be a bit of a dick. Because it's my first time here, Senpai insists on introducing me to his mother-err… stepmother. I'm told it's just so that she knows whose spending time in her house. This way, she'll know what I look like if anything goes missing. I think it's odd that she lets Asami call her 'mom', but she's pretty normal aside from that.

"I sincerely hope that my _beloved mother_ didn't bore either of you with her silly formalities."

It's probably none of my business, but the way Senpai addresses his mother is weird. "No, you're mom's really nice Senpai."

"Yes…."

"Hey, Senpai, where's Manami-chan?" asked Asami.

"She's probably in her room, but I'll send for her…."

"Senpai, that isn't good. Go up and go get Manami-chan." Asami is being unsually forceful today.

"Y-Yes…." unwilling to start a fight he won't win, Senpai does as Asami says and leaves for upstairs.

"What was that about?" I find myself asking.

"Senpai can be stubborn when Manami-chan is around. He pretends that he doesn't like her."

"Why would he do that?"

Asami looks at me with a difficult expression. She knows what she wants to say, but she doesn't have the right words to say it.

"Is it personal?" Asami nods to confirm my conjecture. "Then we probably shouldn't talk about it."

"There's no need to be so secretive." Faster than I thought possible Sakurayama-senpai has already returned with a timid, little girl hiding behind him. That must be Manami. "Go on Asami. It isn't really much of a secret."

"Senpai…. Not when Manami-chan is around." said Asami.

"That's very thoughtful, but it matters very little that the girl is here." he said.

Why did he call her "the girl"?

"You see my mother, whose name was Shiraiyuki Sakurayama, and Manami's mother, my _darling_ stepmother, Akaibara Sakurayama, were twins. My father, the current head of the Sakurayama family, was orphaned son of a great uncle. My grandfather adopted him out respect for _his_ older brother, who had died." Senpai tells me of his confusing family history, but I don't see how that explains how he treats Manami-chan. "You see, my father was and is brilliant, a genius and overachiever in everyone's eyes. Brilliant as he was, he did not have the blood of the Sakurayama family's main branch, therefor, he was deemed unfit to take up to role as family head. To remedy that, he would go on to do something bold. He married his sister, whose family he entered through adoption. Sadly, my mother passed away just three years ago. With her death, my _darling_ stepmother left her husband to marry my father. The blood remains pure, and my father's title remains undisputed and indisputable. You see, I don't really understand why, but I've held a great deal of animosity towards my _darling_ stepmother. With the image I maintain amongst the members of my family, I can't go on and act on this animosity, but to appease this animosity which gnaws at the inside of my chest. I do my best to act indifferent and detached from this girl, while accepting responsibility for her. It may be childish and petty to direct my petty negative emotions at this poor girl, but it really makes me feel better, so I don't really give a damn."

I don't look at Sakurayama-senpai any differently because of his family's weird relations, and I don't look down on him because of how he treats his sister. None of that is my business. Still, it's wrong for him to say that when "that girl" is standing right behind him.

"Elder brother…." Manami-chan has a piteous expression on her face, and I can understand why.

…

Dinner time….

We've all gathered an overly indulgently long dinner table to eat. My cousin Karen just got off of work. She looks really excited.

"I've always wanted to look at this table and not be one of the girls to set it." said Karen. "You've made really good friends, Honey-boy."

"Yeah, well they're both kinda weird…." Asami can never calm down, and Senpai is super polite, but he can be a bit of a jerk, too.

"Some things can be overlooked." she says this with a smile on her face.

Sakurayama-senpai just walked down into the dining room. He has a concerned expression on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt, mother darling, but I just went up to Ms. Manami's room and she isn't there."

"She's probably playing at a friend's house." said Senpai's mother.

"Not possible." said Senpai. "She would have told me if she wanted to go out."

"Well, she might just be in the wash…."

"I've checked her bathroom, and I instructed every servant I've come across to contact me if they were to spot her." Senpai's really thorough. I'd say obsessive, but this is a much better side of him than what I saw earlier.

"Maybe she went out for a walk."

Senpai is starting to panic, but his face is stern and punishing. "It's not like her to walk out this late…. *sigh* I suppose it's still a possibility."

"Does he always get like this?" I ask.

"It's his way of showing that he cares." said Asami. "Still, something isn't right. Manami-chan hardly ever misses dinner. At least, whenever I've been here."

I hear a phone ringing. It's Senpai's.

"Hello? Yes, have you found Ms. Manami?" Senpai turns pale. "**WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'SHE RAN AWAY'‽**" every syllable of every word he said was like a booming clap of thunder. He stayed quiet for a while before clapping his phone shut. "Manami's missing. One of our relatives saw her catch a bus away from the complex."

Understandably, Mrs. Sakurayama was horrified. "How did she leave? H-How did she get the money for a bus?"

"Last month, I received a letter from Ms. Manami's school teacher…." Senpai looks mad. From the tone of his voice, probably at himself. "It was a letter of praise, and… I thought it fitting that I reward her…. I thought that she'd spend it on something frivolous!"

"It's not your fault Kobashomaru."

"Don't tell me that." Senpai turns to face Asami and me. "Ms. Hibari, Mr. Sado…. Ms. Manami is my responsibility, but…." Senpai looks like he's close to bowing for help.

I'm not gonna turn him down. "Don't worry about it. We'll help you find her."

"Thank you."

"Senpai, where do you think Manami-chan could have gone?" asked Asami. "She could have gone to the shopping district, or the playground by the shrine, or…."

"She's been asking me to go somewhere for a while…."

"Where's that, Senpai?"

….

"The Natsukaze carnival grounds…."


	10. His Heart of Ice

Back before I moved here, Asami and Sakurayama-senpai had made plans to go to the Natsukaze carnival grounds after finding a third member to their exploration party. Senpai's younger stepsister, Manami-chan, found out and desperately wanted to join her older brother. Sakurayama-senpai, believing that the carnival grounds were not a safe place for a little girl, denied her the chance. When Manami-chan ran away from home, Sakurayama-senpai believed that the abandoned carnival grounds were the first place she would go.

"Damn that girl!" Senpai is still very angry. Asami wants me to believe that Senpai hides his worries through a fierce exterior. I'm finding that harder and harder to believe. "I was foolish enough to reward her for 'good behaviour'. Tch…. I will never make that mistake again."

"Don't worry, Senpai. We'll find Manami-chan and be back before dinner gets cold." Asami tries to get Senpai to lighten up, but it's pointless.

"First we need to find that girl…."

We trek through Natsukaze, but we still don't see Manami-chan. There's foreboding notion in the back of my mind. I try to ignore it, but it's there. From the looks I've been getting from Asami, her worries are the same as mine.

"Split up and we'll cover more ground." Senpai took the lead. "We should search every one of the exhibits left in this shithole. Keep your eyes and ears on the alert, if you can't see Ms. Manami, you can probably hear her if she's close…. She's probably crying…."

My first instinct is to head to the House of Mirrors, Asami will probably be doing the same. To avoid Senpai's suspicion, we'll have to walk separate paths.

"Hanchan…."

"I'll meet you there…."

Senpai walks toward the old carnie games. Asami and I are headed towards the House of Mirrors; I'll go there directly, while Asami will take a longer route. For a moment, I begin to wonder why Asami and I are keeping the other world secret from Senpai, but I remember the dangers we faced there. Asami and I have Personas to protect us, but Senpai is unarmed. If Manami-chan did fall into that other world, we can only hope that she is unharmed….

I have only been getting mixed signals from Sakurayama-senpai. At times, he seems respectable, polite, and helpful. Lately, I seen how cold he can be, especially towards Manami-chan. Cold as he has been, he's going the entire length to find her. I don't know what to think.

I arrive at the House of Mirrors. Asami is just a few steps behind.

"Hanchan, you don't think that Manami-chan could have gone into that other world, do you?" Asami asks me this, but I don't know what to tell her.

"I hope not, but it's a possibility."

"Then let's hurry."

Together, Ms. Asami and I head into the House of Mirrors. We make a path toward that one mirror…. "The Door to Expression…." I find myself shaking. Every time I see that thing, I get nervous. I thought that I wouldn't have to see it again after what happened with Asami. I was wrong, but I guess that there was a reason I was able to go in there in the first place.

"A-Are you ready, Hanchan?" her memories of our last trip through the mirror are still fresh, apparently. She is nervous as well.

I swallow the lump in my throat, and stretch my hand out into the mirror. Again, I feel that same tension. When I last came here, I didn't know what to think. I was afraid. I was afraid of what was beyond this door, and I was afraid that I might not be able to go through. What is the matter with me? I've been through this, and Asami is my witness. Yet, I still fear that I may not be able to cross into that other world.

"What are you two doing?" Senpai came up behind us.

Shit!

"Senpai‽" Asami seems just about as alarmed as I am. I guess I should have told her we needed a lookout.

"Let's cut short the formalities, what are you two doing here, together?" he stressed that last part for some reason.

"We were just looking for Manami-chan, and we thought it would be best if we stuck together." unprepared, I spit out a lie that couldn't have even fooled me.

"And you left your poor Senpai all to his lonesome? That's a load of crap and you know it. You two are hiding something from me!" Senpai sees straight through me. "I don't know what you two have that is so important that it has to be kept a secret from me, but if it doesn't concern finding Ms. Manabi, tell me now so that I can stop wasting my time on you. Now, what aren't you telling me‽"

No matter what I say, I know that Senpai will be able to know if I'm lying…. I can't find anything to say, so I remain quiet.

"Asami!" now Senpai has set his sights on Asami. "I thought that I could tell you anything and not be judged for it. I had hoped that you had come to see me in the same light."

"Senpai…." Asami is visibly bothered.

"Last year, when you confessed to me, you said you loved me, was that a lie?"

"N-No! Of course not, Senpai!"

"Then, you of all people know how much I…!" he stops himself there. For a moment, Senpai looks lost, but that ended all too soon when he continued to interrogate Asami. "You know that Ms. Manabi is my responsibility. You know that, yet you still keep secrets from me!"

"It's not like that Senpai!" Asami defends herself, but she is not a match for Sakurayama-senpai.

"Then what are you hiding‽ Tell me now, Hibari!" his words are as cold as ice.

Asami is upset. Almost to the point of panicking, her breaths become short and quick. I'm afraid that together we've put her in a position where she was forced to lie to the Senpai whom she held such strong feelings for.

"I-I-I…!" what happened next came as a shock to me, and I don't think she even knew that she had done it. Asami forced her hand through The Door to Expression, and revealed its nature as a gateway between our world and another to our senpai. "This is it, Senpai!"

"What the…. I see."

"You see?"

"You're telling me that you think that Ms. Manami is on the other side of that mirror." unexplainably, Senpai took what he saw in full.

"How are you not freaked out by this?" I ask.

"I don't have time to be 'freaked out' because of some mirror. I don't understand how you're doing this, but I don't need to right now. If Ms. Manami is on the other side, that's all that matters." I can sense Senpai's resolve to find Manami-chan, but his dutiful attitude scares me. "Stand aside. I must find, Ms. Manami."

"Wait, Senpai! It's dangerous on the other side!"

"Then that's all the more reason for me to hurry and find her."

…

In the end, Senpai went through the mirror and entered the world that is not ours. He acts so calm. When I first came here, I didn't know what was going on, but Senpai just walks on like his in his own house.

_Your heart was broken that day_...

I hear those same disembodied voices rang through this messed up place when Asami and I last came here. The voice sounds familiar but distinct.

"Do you guys hear that?"

"It wasn't Ms. Manabi's voice. We needn't worry over it." does anything shake this guy?

_To protect yourself, you closed your heart to all of love's warmth. Now you're left with a heart of ice_….

The voice sounds a lot like Senpai's, but more feminine, motherly even.

_You thought that you were only hurting yourself, and you were fine with that weren't you. Unfortunately, you weren't the only one that was getting hurt, now were you_…?

It's obvious that the voice is addressing Senpai directly, but he acts as if he doesn't hear a thing.

"Senpai, Hanchan, aren't you guys getting cold?"

Whenever I walk into this world, I get a chill up my spine, but that's not what Asami's talking about. I didn't notice it before, but it has gotten colder. "You're right, Asami." I can even see my breath.

Senpai ignores our complaints, and continues forward, until the path forks. "Where should we go?"

This is the first time I've gone this far out into this world. "I don't really know, Senpai."

He doesn't seem to like my answer. "Tch. You're useless."

_You've made so many girls cry. You really are a monster, boy. How many times have you gone through those marriage meetings? Your father always was a stick in the mud for those traditional things_….

"Senpai, do you know this person?" asked Asami.

"No."

_You're such a horrible, ferocious boy. That cute Asami girl, Manami-chan, you made them both cry. Even my sister_…. _Oh, what a horrible son you are_.

Senpai is as silent as death. To be honest, I'm not even sure what I just heard. Whoever was speaking, he knew them, and they knew him.

"Senpai, that person called you…."

_Don't you miss me, Kobashomaru? Look at me_...

The walls around us froze, but Sakurayama-senpai would not even acknowledge this.

"Kobashomaru…?" the voice was no longer echoing through the halls. The mysterious person that was speaking to us had crept up right behind us. "Look at me, Kobashomaru. Don't you remember my face?"

Senpai refuses to turn around, but Asami and I look back. Standing there was a woman in a kimono as white as the snow. Her hair was as dark as night, but she had the fairest skin I've ever seen. As I look at her, I can't help but notice that her face was identical to Sakurayama-senpai's…. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"Look at me, Kobashomaru…." she calls to him, but Senpai won't allow himself to look back. "Kobashomaru, tell me… Who do I look like?"

Without looking at her, he responds. "You look like a dead woman…. Now, I've given you my answer. Leave…."

"Why, won't you even look at me?"

"There's nothing to look at."

"I'm your mother, Kobashomaru…."

"No you're not. My mother is dead."

"If you really believe that, then why won't you look at me?"

He doesn't want to, but Senpai turns to face the woman. "Because there is no point in looking at you! My mother is dead, that is fact. I have nothing to gain by looking into the past when it holds no significance, so why should I bother? My mother is dead! She is dead!"

"You say that I'm your past. Does that mean that see that little girl as your future?"

Senpai looks stunned. "You bitch!"

"What a naughty son I have…."

The floor under Sakurayama-senpai's feet iced along with his shoes. He was trapped where he stood, trapped in the ice. "She's doing this!" he said.

"Senpai, are you alright?"

"Bufu!" the woman hit us with an icy wind that chilled my bones. "I'm your mother, Kobashomaru."

"You can go to hell!" I've never seen Senpai so angry. "You put on my mother's face, and you talk like you're her! You bitch! You're not her!"

"You need to cool down, boy." the woman snaps her fingers, and she encases our senpai in a large block of ice. I can't understand what's happening, and Asami is too horrified to speak. "Oh, are you Kobashomaru's friends?" she takes note of us. "My name is Shiraiyuki Sakurayama. Thank for taking care of my son, but I'm afraid that he won't be able to come out to play. Like he protected his heart by cutting off love's warmth, I encased him in ice to protect him."

This woman is as insane as she is beautiful.

"Let Senpai go!" Asami yelled.

"Oh, you must be that Asami girl that my son's taken such a liking to."

Asami blushes. "Wh-What do you know about Senpai?"

"I'm his mother. Who would know more about him other than me?"

I can see the fury in Asami's eyes. Those eyes are focused on Sakurayama-senpai's icy prison as well as on the mysterious woman who calls herself Shiraiyuki.

"You have a crush on my son don't you, girl? You must be that Asami-chan that whom my son speaks so fondly of."

Asami bites her tongue, and she grows increasingly furious the longer our senpai remains trapped in ice.

"Every day, when the morning air is filled with incense, that boy comes to speak to me. He's often spoken of you…. You confessed to him, right? How did that go?"

That can't be good…

"AHH!" the next thing I hear is Asami's screaming.

The next things I see is… blue? I see a sort of blue smoke floating low above the ground.

"Through her intense emotions, Ms. Hibari has released her Persona." these words came from no one I expected, but someone I knew.

Dressed in red, Mr. Singleman stood waiting, and watching Asami and her Persona, Poltergeist, as she engages into battle against Shiraiyuki, who alone proves to be a match for Poltergeist. If her earlier supernatural feats weren't evidence enough, Shiraiyuki was no normal human.

"How are you even here?" I ask.

Mr. Singleman smiled at me. With all the mess that's going on, that smile is unnerving. "Through the same means you come to our Tavern Red, but only in reverse." that told me a whole lot of nothing. "We told you that I would aide you in your plight."

I have many questions for Mr. Singleman, but they can wait. "Just tell me how to use Thuban. I've done it before, but I don't know how I did it."

"Your Persona is summoned through instinct, friend."

"What does that mean?"

…

What the hell is going on?


	11. The Most Beautiful Cherry Blossom

In the search for Sakurayama-senpai's younger sister, Manami Sakurayama, we were taken to the Natsukaze Carnival Grounds. Once there, Asami and I, fearing the worst, made our way to the mysterious gateway known as The Door to Expression. We attempted to cross into the other world with The Door to Expression as our passage way, but we were caught in the act by our senpai. With little other choice, and with our concern for Manami pushing us, we were forced to take Sakurayama-senpai with us into the other world, despite the danger.

The other world is a bleak reflection of our own, and is in habited by mysterious and hostile creatures. Shortly after entering that world, we were met by one of those creatures, which took the form of Sakurayama-senpai's late mother, Shiraiyuki Sakurayama. With her power to control the cold, Shiraiyuki froze Senpai in a block of ice, describing the act as if it were a form of poetic justice. Asami immediately retaliated, summoning her Persona, a creature akin to those monsters of this world but also a reflection of its user, Poltergeist. I too have a Persona, but while I have used it twice already, I still do not know how to call upon its power.

I stood back forced to witness two scenes of horror. The first was of Asami who, because of my inability to make use of my Persona, was forced to battle the mysterious Shiraiyuki on her own. The second was of my frozen Senpai, who I could do nothing for. As I began to wallow in the sorrow of my powerlessness, I was greeted by an unexpected presence. His name was Mr. Singleman an enigmatic man from the mysterious Tavern Red, a place which I have only been able to visit in my dreams.

Mr. Singleman informed me of the secrets of the power that Asami and I made use of, our Personas, as well as the monsters which we've battled. Those creatures are called Shadows, monsters created from the negative emotions of humans, and that the woman who Asami currently fought was indeed a shadow. Our Personas are separate from the Shadows in that, while created from the same emotions, they are tamed and overcome by their users. He also informed me that the secret to summoning them was to trigger intense emotion such as fear or anger. I am unsure how I am meant to do this, but as I look back at my senpai, who remains frozen, I can no longer hesitate. I have to act if I am to save him. I can only hope that my efforts will be enough….

"Persona!"

…

My name is Kobashomaru Sakurayama. I am the eldest son of my family's main branch, and the heir to accept its duties. Currently, I have no idea where I am….

The last thing I remember was Asami screaming, which cannot be a good sign. I remember that I felt really cold…. Now, I'm here. I don't even know where "here" is. The world is clouded by a thick fog, and my vision of this world is hindered.

I hear no wind pass my ear; I feel no breeze hit my face, yet the fog circles around me still. What could this place be?

"This place is a painting of your true inner heart." in my short eighteen years of life, there has only ever been one voice to grace my ears as gentle as the one I now hear.

I turn around to see a small coffee table lying there on the ground of this cold place, and a lone woman sitting patiently. She wears a kimono white as snow, and a smile as warm as any love.

"Mother!" I run towards her. If this is a dream, it is one I never wish to wake from. If I am awake I wish to never again dream, for all of my most frivolous and most spectacular imaginings could not compare. I embrace her, and she accepts me. I've wanted to experience this for every day of my life for the past three years. "Mother I've missed you…."

"I've missed you too, Mr. Kobashomaru." she said.

I can feel her breath against my neck. For so long, this was something that I had been forsaken from feeling. The gods are kind to take pity upon my humble shape and allow me this grace.

"Mother!" I am at loss for words as my tears stream down my face. I search for them, but there is only Mother in my mind.

"Come, come. There is no need to cry, my son. Tears are not what should accompany a warm reunion. Are you not happy to see me?"

My face shoots up, and I am like a child to defend myself. "No, no, no!" I do my best to wipe away my tears, but I fail to stop them from flowing. "S-See? I am happy to see you, mother." I say as my tears continue to stream down my face. I cannot look at my mother without crying, so I bury myself in her bosom to hide my shame.

"I was only kidding, Mr. Kobashomaru." she admits.

I knew that what she said was only a jest, yet I acted as if it were the truth. Who knows why? I certainly don't. "Mother, you are so cruel."

"My son takes too seriously the world that surrounds him."

She plays with me, but I'm not a child. I say that I'm not a child, however, I feel like one. "Mother, why did you have to die?"

"We all die, Mr. Kobashomaru. It's just a fact of this life that we live; someday, our lives will end." she strokes my hair as she did when I was a small boy.

"But I didn't want you to die…."

"What you didn't want was to lose your mother..."

"I don't mean to be selfish…."

"It's okay."

I think about how my father took me with him when I was younger. I was overjoyed at the chance to stay in Kobasho for my high school career. One of the factors which helped me decide to come back here was to reunite with my mother. When she died, I was beside myself. My reason to stay was gone. My mother was gone.

"We were awfully close for two persons who spent so little time with each other."

"That's because you're my mother, and I love you." I hold her tight. I never thought that I would ever see her again, and now that I do see her, I never want to let go of her again.

"Do you remember how we used to spend time together, you and I?" mother rests my head in her lap, and continues to stroke my hair. "I'd have you on my lap, and I'd tell you stories."

I remember mother's stories. My favourites were the stories of the Yuki-onna. Mother would tell me of how these beautiful visions appeared to men lost in the snow. Beautiful women who glided over white would come to them, before leading them to their doom. I told mother that she was more beautiful than any snow woman. She would then tell me that her name meant "white snow" and that she was the Yuki-onna that had come for me.

"You even told me a story one, Kobashomaru," I know that story. Even now, it has not faded. It was the story of Snow White.

"A girl whose hair was as black as night, and whose skin was fair like snow." it was easy to see why I took so much to this story. It reminded me of mother, whose dark hair and fair skin contrasted like the night and day, whose beauty rivalled that of the dawn's rising sun. Mother was my Snow White.

"You can't stay here, Mr. Kobashomaru." my mother tells me this, in all of her cruelty.

"Why not? My place is with you here mother? Isn't that why we have been reunited?"

"No, my son. This is not the world you live in. This is your heart, which I live in."

"My heart?" I try to make sense of what my mother says, but when she told me that we must part, my heart sank.

"I'm alone here, and it is cold…." mother's smile falters.

"Then I'll stay, so that we are always together." I grab hold of her. I'll never let her go, I thought. "Just Mother and I…. Together we shall be…."

"That is not the role of mother and son, Mr. Kobashomaru." she strokes my neck and tells me to look past her. "Tell me, do you know the tale of Konohana Sakuya?"

"Yes mother." I begin. "Konohana Sakuya was a daughter of the mountain god Ouyamatsumi. She later became the wife of the god, Ninigi. When she became pregnant on the first night of their marriage, he accused her of infidelity. To prove her faithfulness, Konohana Sakuya stood in a burning hut. She claimed that if she had been faithful the flames would spare her."

"She survived." said mother.

"She was faithful." I explained. "Our ancestors believed themselves to be the descendants of the goddess Konohana Sakuya and the god Ninigi."

"The goddess's symbol was the cherry blossom, sakura." she said.

I finally look past mother, as she had asked me to. Behind her I see a cherry blossom tree, but the sakura had all fallen. It was dead.

"It is cold in your heart, and the sakura cannot bloom in such an awful place." mother scolds me. "I did not raise my son to bear a cold heart."

"I'm sorry mother."

"As a child who had lost his mother, you closed off your heart, and refused to love any one. Not your father, not my sister, not Asami-chan, and not Manami-chan. A heart that locks itself away loses love's warmth, and then that heart becomes indistinguishable from ice. You must let others into your heart, and you must let me leave."

"I can't let go of you mother. You're the only one in this world that I love."

"I'm no longer a part of your world, my son."

"Mother, I can't…." I'm afraid to lose my mother again, for I know that if I let her go now, she truly will be lost to me. "I'm afraid…."

Mother smiles at me. She looks as if she's experiencing fond memories, and reliving them. "Come, Mr. Kobashomaru. Come and experience your mother's love one final time."

"Mother…."

Mother undoes the sash of her kimono before exposing her breasts to me. "It was with these breasts that your mother first nurtured you, when you first felt your mother's love."

"Mother!" I don't know what my body is thinking, but I lurched forward and buried myself in my mother's exposed bosom. Her breasts were soft to the touch, yet firm.

"Dost thou dislike my gift? Will thou partake in the milk of my bosom?" she invited me to it, and I cannot refuse her offer.

I take into my mouth the nipple of her left breast. My hand coddles her right. I do as my mother advises me to. Soon after, my mouth is filled with mother's milk. It is made sweet by her love, a degree above all lesser milks. This was the physical representation of my mother's love. I have been starved of it all this time, and I have missed it so. I could go on like this forever….

"Mr. Kobashomaru…." mother calls me. "The cherry blossoms are blooming…."

…

Asami and I continued our battle against the mysterious Shiraiyuki. I was surprised to see that Asami's Persona, Poltergiest, fared better against her than my Thuban. Mr. Singleman explained that the majority of Poltergiest's attacks used electricity, and Thuban's affinity was fire. Shiraiyuki, despite her weakness to electricity, was able to hold the both of us off. Asami and I are starting to get tired, and Mr. Singleman doesn't seem all that reliable, telling us only half of what we need to know.

"That was incredible, Mr. Sado." he says with the voice of a man getting ready for bed. I might have had a chance at appreciating what he says, if he didn't repeat the same lines every time I dodge something. "I'd expect nothing less from Tavern Red's most valued guest."

"I'm your only guest, aren't I?" I vocalize my thoughts to Mr. Singleman in the snarkiest tone I could muster, but I should focus more on our fight. "Are you okay, Asami?"

Asami is doing very good, but I think that Shiraiyuki sensed that Asami posed a greater threat than me. She's been getting hit a lot, and I'm not really sure how we've stuck it out this long.

"I'm okay…." she's getting tired, but she's hiding it for Senpai's sake.

"You children are so persistent. I'm glad that my son has such dedicated friends." she talks to us so politely. When I think about how she's trying to freeze us to death, it makes me scared. "If you want to join him so badly, I suppose that I can't refuse." she raises up both of her hands above her head, and a large chunk of ice forms in the air. She's done this before, and I know what happens next. "Ice Heart."

She hurls the ice at us, but it's difficult for us to dodge it when it comes so fast.

_Thanks, for coming with me, Hanchan._

I hear Asami's voice calling out to me, but I can see that she is too preoccupied with Shiraiyuki to bother with me. Still, I recognize the voice to be her's.

_Because now, I think that there's another boy I might like…._

I hear a name, but what is that name?

"Listen to the forces that draw you in." said Mr. Singleman in the tone of a deceitful sage. "Take in your hand the true power of your Persona and the wild card."

The true power of my Persona? Mr. Singleman's words ring with me. I am never certain of what he tells me, yet I can deny this power that I feel. This power…. It's incredible.

"Lilim!" I reach out to this power. It is invisible, yet I can see it. The power of my Persona, but not Thuban.

"Hanchan, you have two Personas?" Asami sounds jealous.

My Persona, Thuban, the deceiver, had disappeared. In his place was the image of a woman or girl with a devil's wings. She was very pretty, but that did not subside the aura of imminent violence that she exuded.

"The Persona, Lilim, of the Devil Arcana. She may be small, but she is powerful." Mr. Singleman chooses to dispense more of his hidden wisdom. "Like Poltergeist, her affinity is toward Electrical magic. Make use of her as best you can."

"I'll be sure to do that." I look upon my new persona, Lilim, and smile. As I slowly begin to realize the power that I have, I shake from excitement. Is this what they call a power high? I feel like I can take on anything.

…

Shiraiyuki falls to the ground. With the onslaught of both of our Personas working in tandem, Asami and I finally managed to beat her.

"To think that my son…." she starts to say something, but Asami is quick to cut her short.

"Let Senpai go now!" said Asami.

"My son…." up until now, Sakurayama-senpai had been encased in ice. We have not yet attempted to free him because of the threat that Shiraiyuki had posed to us. Now that she has been beaten, we may finally be able to help him.

A cherry blossom petal falls to my feet. "What's this?" I see a trail of sakura petals leading to me from the mound of ice that had caged our senpai.

The ice had vanished, and a mountain of cherry blossoms had taken its place. When the blossoms fell to the ground, I saw Sakurayama-senpai standing there, surrounded by the sakura which had trapped him.

"Senpai!" Asami rushes towards our senpai. She embraces him. "You're okay…."

"Yes. It is thanks to you that I am." Senpai returns Asami's hug before looking to me. "I should be thankful to you as well, Mr. Sado." he thanks me, but his next action is a surprise. Separating himself from Asami, Senpai walks toward a defeated Shirayuki.

"Senpai, be careful!" said Asami.

Senpai acknowledges Asami's warning, but he does not heed it. "You have my mother's face." he said, drawing the woman's attention to him. "I don't know if you're my mother's lingering spirit or something else entirely. If you are her, then I must tell you how sorry I am, for denying you." Senpai looks grim as he speaks, but I can see that he is not entirely sad. "I thought that I had said my good byes to you, but the simple burning of incense will not mend the hole that was left in my heart when you died. Freezing my heart over with loneliness may cover that hole, but never fill it."

"What about Manami-chan…?" asked Shiraiyuki.

"I must apologize to her. I cared for her very much, but when I realized that… that I had begun to fall in love with her, I closed off my heart again. I didn't want to get hurt…."

"That's not a very mature way to handle your problems, Mr. Kobashomaru."

"No, no it isn't." Senpai takes the woman in his hands, embracing her. "I promise to find Manami-chan. She's my sister, and I love her."

Shiraiyuki smiles. She accepts Senpai's hug, and holds him close. "When you were a small boy, I didn't very often see you, and I cherished the time that we could spend together. I realized that you were getting older and that you would soon find your own wife and forget about your mother. I hated that…. Now, I realize that you don't need me anymore. You've grown up to be a fine man." she touches his face. "Do you love Manami-chan?"

"She's my little sister, and she's the most important thing in my world."

"Good. When I was alive, that's exactly how I felt about you…."

What passes between the two of them after that is a mystery to me, for I cannot hear them.

"Good bye, mother. For the last time…."

"Good bye, Mr. Kobashomaru…."

Shiraiyuki fades in to a blue smoke. In that smoke, I see what I believe to my Senpai's Persona. A small girl dressed in a white mini-kimono.

"Yuki-onna." Senpai calls out the name of his Persona. In his hands, I see his mask. In Senpai's case, his mask in not really a mask, but a wedding veil worn by a bride. "This is me…."

Mr. Singleman eyes Senpai's Persona carefully until it disappears. "Yuki-onna, of the Empress Arcana."


	12. Of Brothers Forever

In our search for Sakurayama-senpai's sister Manami, we encountered Senpai's "Shadow", a monster born from the insecurities of his heart. In this case, the monster took the form of Senpai's late mother, Shiraiyuki Sakurayama, who we understand him to have held dear. The Shadow then trapped our senpai in ice, forcing Asami and I to action. Neither of us understood what this world was, and neither of us understands it now, but we set that aside to protect our senpai.

To combat Shiraiyuki, Asami and I summoned our Personas, creatures similar to Shadows, but tamed by our resolve. We outnumbered Shiraiyuki, but she proved to be a formidable opponent regardless. In the midst of our struggle, we were joined by the mysterious Mr. Singleman, who seems to know much of this world. Without a doubt, he is a valuable ally, but neither his loyalties nor his motives for joining us are unknown. We place our faith in him, for we have little other choice, but I worry that he may turn on us.

In the end, we defeated the Shadow, and freed Sakurayama-senpai, who then confronted his Shadow. As he looked the Shadow's face, Senpai said his final goodbyes to his mother, promising to her that he would no longer live with a heart of ice. Accepting his Shadow, Senpai's resolve had strengthened, and with his resolve, he formed the Persona, his Persona, Yuki-onna.

Senpai quickly realized that by gaining use of his Persona, he had the power to save Manami.

….

"Wait up, Senpai!" Asami yells out as our senpai runs ahead of us.

Senpai doesn't waste any time. His only words to us after he obtained his Persona were, "Thank you, but we must leave. Manami is in danger" and then ran off. It was like being turned into a Popsicle didn't even faze him.

"Senpai, do you even know where you're going‽" I yell, but I can see that Senpai doesn't hear me.

"You're senpai is headed in the right direction." Mr. Singleman is starting to fall behind. What he says piques my curiosity, and I slow to a halt.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

Mr. Singleman smirks. I can't help but dislike the face that he makes. "Mr. Sakurayama seems to have a very close relationship with his sister, wouldn't you agree? He seems awfully determined to find her."

"Well yeah, Manami-chan's his sister." Mr. Singleman comments on Senpai's unwavering duty, but his determination will not help him if he gets lost. "None of us know where we're going, and Senpai's never been here at all!"

"Here? Do you know where 'here' is? What is 'here'?" Mr. Singleman throws a fistful of pointless questions my way, but I don't know what he's getting at. "This place reflects what the heart feels. Whether the heart feels joy or pain, or if your intent is not so clear-cut, this place will react."

"React? Clear-cut? What do you mean?"

"He will find his route, because the sole thing on his mind is his sister. As for you, can you honestly tell me that you're not just a little interested in mashing another shadow?"

…

I continue my search for Ms. Manami, but in all of my anxiousness, I left behind my friends. Now, I am alone in this strange world, I am lost, and I am no closer to Manami for it.

I was foolish to be so impulsive. This place is a labyrinth; every corner that I've passed looks identical to the one before me. I can't help, but wonder what possessed me to charge into this place. What could have been so seductive that my sense of self-preservation would turn a blind eye to the actions of my body?

I already know the answer. I love my sister. For so long, I've pretended not to care for her, yet I thought that was only hurting myself. Part of me believed that, by being cold to Manami, I spared myself the heartbreak I experienced when my mother died. And that resolve made me ignorant to the fact my actions, my efforts to distance myself, hurt Manami as well.

I have accepted the fact that I will get nowhere by running aimlessly through this weird dimension. Still, something inside of me drives me to go forward, as if I knew exactly where Manami is and the exact path I needed follow to reach her. Perhaps this is my brotherly protectiveness, which I've long resisted, getting the best of me…. No. I am in no position to call myself her brother. More fitting is the title of demon.

Even before we became step-siblings, I was always fond of Ms. Manami. She was the born daughter of my maternal aunt. That is, she was born within the duration of my aunt's previous marriage; before my mother died; before she married my father. She did not live far from the main estate, and her father was a respectable enough man. In the brief periods when I would be in Kobasho, Manami would always find me. She would affectionately and informally address me as "bro". Ever since we became siblings by the marriage of my esteemed father and my then aunt, Manami began to refer to me as her "respected elder brother". To this day, I have no clue as to who would put her up to this, but it was probably my stepmother. Occasionally she would slip and call me "bro", but she would quickly correct herself mid-syllable.

I have been her brother for three years, and I fear that I have made her hate me with my aloofness. From this day forth, I will make up for wasted time, and I will become a brother that Manami can respect, even if she goes on to hate me.

_"Bro_…?_"_

I hear Manami's voice. The weakness of her tone strikes me still. I see her nowhere, yet I feel her presence. But just as I hear her voice, I hear a second responded to it.

"_Don't worry, Manami-chan_." the voice is my own, yet I am not the one speaking. "_Your big brother is here to protect you_."

The second voice that I hear, the voice which is so similar to mine, addresses Manami with an intimate honorific. What's more, the speaker refers to himself as her brother, a title which only I have the privilege to bear.

"_Just go to sleep_…. _Your big brother will sooner die than allow harm to befall you_."

The voices that I hear, both Manami's and my own disembodied voice, sound so surreal over the backdrop of this hellish world. Now that I've had a moment to ponder over the situation, I notice similarities to what had happened to me earlier. Just before I faced my mother, I was haunted by a similar voice, yet, in my case, I was addressed directly. I will assume that the voices that I hear now do not target me, but are meant for Ms. Manami. If so, and if her situation even remotely parallels my own, Ms. Manami is in even greater danger than I feared.

Whatever the cost, be it injury to myself or anyone that stands opposed to me, I will find Manami, and I will not allow for her to be hurt. On the pride of the Sakurayama family, on my own pride as her brother, and on my life, I will save Ms. Manami.

…

"You have a talent for recovery, Mr. Sado." Mr. Singleman praises me for picking my ass up off of the ground.

As we venture further into the depths of this world, Asami and I are forced to fight more and more Shadows. Granted, the ones we face now are not nearly as powerful as Senpai's personal Shadow. Still, these lesser Shadows are far more numerous and varied. A single, simple strategy will not work when the enemies we face are so different from one another. If they attack us in groups, it causes even more trouble.

"How many does that make, Hanchan?" Asami tries to make light of our situation. We still haven't found Manami-chan, and now Senpai is missing. I'm impressed that Asami has managed to stay calm through all this.

Then again, I guess I'm doing a good job of not freaking out, too. "I haven't been keeping count."

A little while ago, we heard Manami-chan's voice. It sounded like Senpai was with her, but I don't think I can count on what I hear in this place. Nothing we come across in here is what it seems. Nothing is more deceptive than the Shadows. The most powerful Shadow's we've faced so far were connected to Asami and Senpai, and each of their Personal Shadow's took the shape of something that the two of them were uncomfortable with. For Asami, her Shadow built up on her being bullied. Senpai's Shadow took the form of his late mother.

This place, the world beyond The Door to Expression, has a character all its own. It forces us to face what we are uncomfortable with. When we are able to do that, we are rewarded with a Persona, formed to match our new resolve.

This is what I believe, but I'd be lying if I said that these words were mine. Truth is, everything I've said is more or less paraphrased from what Mr. Singleman has said. I'm not even sure if I understand what I'm saying, so I wouldn't be surprised if everything I said was wrong…. There's no point in me trying to figure it out. The only thing I know for sure: Sakurayama-senpai and Manami-chan are in danger, and only me and Asami can help them.

"Hanchan, listen!" Asami calls for my attention.

…

"_Manami-chan_?"

"_What is it, bro_?"

"_After everything_, _I've said to you, why do you still call me your brother_?"

"_That's a silly question, bro_. _You're my brother, so I call you bro_!"

"_But, I made you cry_…."

"_Yeah…, but I know you didn't mean to_."

"_What about when I said that we were no different from strangers_?"

"_That was mean…, but I know that you didn't mean it_."

"_How can you be so sure_?"

"_Because, even though bro says mean things sometimes, he always is nice_, _and he plays with me whenever he can_. _And when Asami-chan is there, we even get to play house_, _and big bro and I get to be a couple_!"

"_I'm glad that you had fun."_

"_I always have fun when I with you, bro._"

"_I'm glad…._"

"_Asami-chan makes a good daughter, too_."

"_That she does_."

…

"Senpai!" Asami is the first to see our Senpai as we enter a larger room inside this maze-like world. "Senpai are you o-!" Asami stops dead in her tracks. "Two?"

Yes, two. What Asami saw, and what I can't believe I'm seeing are the same. I see two of my Senpai staring each other down in this maze like world. I'm sure that they have noticed Asami and I by now, but true to his character, our Senpai, which ever of these two are the genuine, focuses his attention solely on the task at hand.

"What the hell?" I say, lacking any words to describe my confusion proper. "What is this?"

Mr. Singleman raises an eyebrow. As it would seem, he is slightly intrigued by the recent developments. "It would seem that Mr. Sakurayama has found that girl's Shadow."

"That _girl's_ Shadow?" As Sakurayama-senpai, Asami, and I have already faced our Shadows, the Shadow cannot be relative to any of us. "Manami-chan."

Manami-chan. The Shadow that Sakurayama-senpai now stares down is no longer his own, but Manami-chan's. Physically it is an almost exact copy of our Senpai. The only feature it had which distinguished it from Sakurayama-senpai was a faint aura common amongst all of the Shadows which we've faced. I am starting to believe that the voice which I had heard conversing with Manami-chan earlier was not our Senpai, but this Shadow.

I have noticed that the atmosphere around Senpai has been afloat with an aggravated tension since Manami's disappearance. Now with two of him, each glowering at each other with the same diligent tension, the air is almost impossible to breathe.

"Where is my sister?" Senpai demanded an answer from his doppelganger.

"Your sister? She's a stranger to you, remember?" said the Shadow.

…

No good can come from this, I fear.


End file.
